Law lagging behind the new media?

Stan Beer
Tuesday, 11 November 2008 12:02

Business IT - Networking

In recent times the communications industry has thrown up so many conundrums and queries and proposed so many legal hurdles that the law is having trouble keeping up with what's happening. An upcoming conference intends to take steps towards addressing this problem.

The Media, Communications & Technology Law Conference, which be held on 27 November in Sydney will bring together some of the most senior legal experts in the fields of technology and media, with a special on the Internet.

Featured speakers and their papers include:

 Professor Les McCrimmon (Commissioner in charge) Australian Law Reform Commission
    ALRC 108 For Your Information: Australian Privacy Law and Practice

Angus Henderson, Partner - Gilbert + Tobin, Michelle Rowland, Lawyer - Gilbert + Tobin
    Commercial implications of the ALRC Privacy Review

Henry Ergas, Economist & Chairman - Concept Economics
    National Broadband Network Rollout

Dr Bruce Tonkin, Chief Technology Officer – Melbourne IT & ICANN Board Member
    International legal implications relating to the creation of new global top-level domain names

Peter Coroneos, Chief Executive - Internet Industry Association
    The song of the Internet Intermediary: Why is everyone pickin' on me?

Sophie Dawson, Partner – Blake Dawson
    Internet Privacy and Social Networking Sites

There will also be an industry discussion panel on the topic:

Is The Law Keeping Up With Communications Technology?

Panelists will include:

    Ian Robertson, Managing Partner - Holding Redlich. Conference chair and panel facilitator
    Andrew Lambert, Supervising Counsel – Telstra Media
    Jennifer Follette, Director Legal and Corporate Affairs - Microsoft Australia
    Nina Ta, General Counsel – Ninemsn
    Katrina Rathie, Partner & head of media practice group - Mallesons Stephen Jaques
    Jane Schulze, Media Editor – The Australian

"This particular event is looking at media and communications explosion which is continuing to happen in the digital environment," says Andrew Vallentine, spokesman for the event organiser Rothworx.

The event will look at a variety of issues involved with Internet publishing, including content filtering and privacy.

"We've got a paper looking at defamation and privacy in relation to social networking sites," says Mr Vallentine.

"One of the areas that social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace have brought up for example is publishing photographs that appear for the benefit of say a group of friends. However, it's quite easy for anyone to get in to somebody's site and copy that photograph, alter it and use it in a means that the person who posted the photograph had firstly knowledge of and secondly no abilityto do anything about.

"So what was a social networking facility has become a vehicle for problems for users and created a situation where the law has to learn how to deal with new problems relating to privacy."

The conference will be held at the Royal Automobile Club, Macquarie Street, Sydney on 27 November.