New Zealand postpones ‘three strikes' law

New Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key has postponed the adoption of the new ‘three strikes’ copyright law until the 27th of March. His decision followed after protests made by the Creative Freedom Foundation. New Zealand would be one of the first countries to formally adopt the three strikes approach.

Key has asked all involved stakeholders (i.e. copyright holders, ISPs and file sharers) to come to a solution that is acceptable to all. If such an agreement is not reached by the 27th of March it is likely that the law will be enacted after all.

The three strikes approach, in which users can be disconnected from the internet, has met with resistance in many countries. Disconnecting consumers is seen as an unreasonably harsh punishment. Moreover, many fear that innocent consumers will become the victim of false accusations.