Australia declares legal using a VPN to unblock geo-restricted websites
If you’re wondering if it’s a fair practice to unblock geo-restricted websites using a VPN, take a moment to listen Australia’s point of view. In a time when more and more governments around the world promote laws that diminish citizens’ rights to online privacy and free, unrestricted browsing, Australia takes a stand against this injustices and plans to declare legal unblocking geo-restricted websites, in order to find the best deals on international content.
Change never comes easy
This decision is a breath of fresh air in online environment although it comes after many debates. Copyright holders argued that the new law will have a negative impact on creative process. IFPI, an important global music group declared that fair use would put creators in a difficult position because their effort will not be fairly rewarded:
“Licensing, not exceptions to copyright, drives innovation. Innovation is best achieved through licensing agreements between content owners and users, including technological innovators.”
Australian TV Company Foxtel took a similar position:
“Fair use will introduce significant and unnecessary uncertainty into Australian law.”
Spring will seal the deal
The Australian authorities issued a report that contradicts these opinions and suggests that some changes are necessary in order to obtain a fair use of licensed content:
“Australia’s copyright system has expanded over time, often with no transparent, evidence-based policy analysis demonstrating the need for, or quantum of, new rights. A new system of user rights, including the introduction of a broad, principles-based fair use exception, is needed to help address this imbalance.”
The report is expected to be introduced into Parliament in 2017, not later than spring.
It’s only fair to unblock geo-restricted websites
These discussions are not new in Australia, but now is the first time the government decided to do something about it. Australians protested for a long time that there are a lot of problems regarding their access to entertainment. They pay more money and they have to wait longer for it compared to anyone else. Using a VPN service to bypass geo-restrictions and access content at a fair price and at the right time always seemed like a natural choice. The government report underlines this aspect:
“Geo-blocking results in Australians paying higher prices (often for a lesser or later service) than consumers overseas.”
A free user is a fair user
Also addressing the concern expressed by copyright holders that the creative work will be negatively influenced by using a VPN to avoid geo-blocking the government report arguments that the obvious solution is to let people get what they want in order to convert them into a fair audience.
“Research consistently demonstrates that timely and cost effective access to copyright-protected works is the best way for industry to reduce online copyright infringement. Therefore, in addition to implementing a new exception for fair use, the Commission is recommending making it easier for users to access legitimate copyright-protected content.”
VPN becomes a national value
It’s the first time when a country encourages using a VPN service in order for its citizens to get fair deals from content creators. By doing this, Australia took an important step in making Companies and websites understand that users have rights that cannot be ignored anymore. Also, we think there’s an important lesson here, for the rest of us: when it comes to online, always believe that you deserve more and better. And, most of the times, a VPN can help you with that.
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