From the category archives:

Law

Antivirus Software To Become Mandatory?

1 July 2010

A new report is recommending that vulnerable computers be barred from accessing the internet – but the idea risks creating more problems than it solves.

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Google Is Watching

25 May 2010

Google’s collection of information about Wi-Fi networks may not breach any laws, but concerns loom over the company’s attitude to private data.

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Get to Any Section on AustLII in One Step

6 September 2009

If you’re using a browser that supports search keywords, you can add a keyword for your favourite Australian act. For example, you can add a ‘tpa’ keyword, so that when you type ‘tpa 52’ in the address bar, you’re taken directly to s 52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth).

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Resolving the Abortion Debate in South Australia

28 August 2009

The Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935 (SA) s 82A allows medical termination of pregnancy, so long as the termination poses less risk to the life of the woman than the pregnancy does (not only if the pregnancy carries abnormally high risk). And it appears that abortion in the first 16 weeks is safer than live birth.

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The Clarity in Pricing Act’s New s 53C Works

25 June 2009

Recently, I noticed that the advertising on the Greater Union website had changed. Previously, Greater Union enticed its visitors to join its CINE BUZZ club by promising $8 movie tickets. It buried a mandatory $1 per ticket ‘booking fee’ in the fine print. It appears that the updated s 53C of the Trade Practices Act has put an end to this annoying practice.

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Razer Prohibits Use of Its Mice with Multiple PCs

28 May 2009

I bought a AU$200 Razer Mamba mouse. Being inclined as I am, I decided to read through the legalese that accompanied the mouse, including the EULA for the driver software. ‘Razer™ grants you a … license to use one copy of the enclosed software … on one computer only … No other rights are granted.’

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What Conroy Meant by Voluntarily Mandatory

27 May 2009

Yesterday, Senator Conroy made statements in a Senates Estimates hearing suggesting that filtering could be implemented with a voluntary industry code. To explain what he (probably) meant, I have set out how filtering is governed by a voluntary industry code today, how this can be changed to make filtering mandatory, and what exactly is ‘voluntary’ about this industry code.

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So What Exactly Is Prohibited Content?

16 May 2009

When three copies of the ACMA blacklist were posted on Wikileaks, people were surprised to find it included ordinary pornography, horror movie clips, anti-abortion sites, pro-euthanasia sites, and poker sites. I explain why the inclusion of these sites on the list was not the result of error.

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Restricted Access Systems Insufficient for Links

7 May 2009

After it came out that the Classification Board had classified the infamous AbortionTV page R 18+, a number of people have suggested that you could link to the page if you made the link subject to a restricted access system. But restricted access systems in relation to R 18+ require proof of age and, in any event, must apply to the content itself and not to the link to the content.

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Why ACMA Probably Won’t Fine You $11,000 a Day

20 April 2009

After ACMA threatened Whirlpool’s host with an $11,000 per day fine if it failed to remove a link to a blacklisted anti-abortion website, some people expressed concern that they’d receive surprise fines. To explain why this isn’t the case, I provide a detailed look at the regulation of Australian-hosted prohibited content.

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Why It’s Legal to View Prohibited Content

2 April 2009

‘Prohibited content’ suggests content that is illegal to view or possess. In fact, it is a legislative term that includes all content classified RC or X 18+ and some content classified R 18+ and MA 15+. I have a detailed look at the regulation by ACMA of overseas-hosted prohibited content.

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Lawyers Can Be Funny, Donate to Trees for Life

20 February 2009

One of the problems with the legal profession is the ingrained technophobia, and the inevitable result. To immerse us in the law practice experience, the first week’s reading for the GDLP course was provided in the form of a brick. A digital copy could have been provided for a fraction of the cost. At least the voluntary donation for casual Friday was for the benefit of Trees for Life.

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