In ACCAN's submission to the Government's consultation about online copyright infringement, we argue that consumers should not pay the cost if the government forces ISPs to spend more on trying to stop illegal downloading activities. We also say that if any industry notice scheme is introduced, consumer rights need to be respected and there should never be account terminations.

ACCAN took this opportunity to argue again that copyright laws that encourage ISPs to terminate accounts of copyright infringers should be repealed. Disconnection from essential phone and internet services is disproportionate and could result in harm to individuals who have nothing to do with the infringement.

Finally, we argued that the proposal to allow the courts to block illegal downloading websites is concerning because there are many websites that are used for both legal and illegal purposes. We said that the courts should be able to hear from people who may be affected by a website block before such an order is issued.

This was submitted to Attorney-General's Department.

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