WELLINGTON, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government released an issues paper on Friday marking the first stage of public consultation on changes to the Copyright Act 1994.
"Copyright affects all New Zealanders. We create copyright works when we take a photograph, record a video, or write an email, and we use copyright works by watching a sports broadcast, streaming a movie, listening to music, or reading a book," Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Kris Faafoi said in a statement.
The last significant review of the Copyright Act was completed more than a decade ago, and much has changed in that time, he said, adding the digital environment has created new opportunities to disseminate and access works, while artificial intelligence, data collection, virtual reality and 3-D printing develop fast.
"Kiwis are increasingly using digital content over the internet, sharing platforms and streaming services. So our copyright regime must be robust enough and flexible enough to deal with the challenges of technological advances," the minister said, adding the four-month consultation closes on April 5, 2019.
"We want to hear from anyone interested at this stage where we are sharing the issues paper," he said, adding, "Once we have a good understanding of what is important to people and why, we will consider what changes are needed."
