Copywronged Righted

New Zealand’s Creative Freedom Foundation, opponents of an amendment to the country’s copyright law, Section 92a, have secured victory with the scrapping of the plan which would have required Internet service providers to implement a system for shutting off the connections of repeat copyright infringers. Online rights advocates CFF had seized on a few rather glaring omissions in the measure: There was no explicit definition of “infringer,” nor was there a requirement that infringement be legally proved. To freedom fighters, this meant that even an accusation of infringement could count as a strike against someone, and that because ISPs are not in the business of investigating the merits of alleged violations, it would be easier for them to yank connections than to adjudicate every complaint. Loud protests of this “guilt by accusation” law echoed around the Web in February, spawning Facebook groups, a “blackout” protest and even a pretty good “copywrong” song. But now the demonstrators have what they wanted.