Cloud alliance sides with Optus on copyright

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 08 February 2012 13:08

OzHub, the Macquarie Telecom-led cloud computing alliance, has come down firmly on the side of Optus over the copyright controversy surrounding Optus TV Now, warning that any moves to change the law "risk branding Australia a global luddite state."

OzHub chairman, Matt Healy, said: "The Government cannot afford to be rushed by those demanding immediate action. The potential lost economic opportunity is simply too great."

According to Healy, "The Optus TV Now service is basically a digital recorder used to record free to air television program. It just happens to be situated in the 'cloud' - rather than sitting in people's homes."

He added: "This is exactly the type of productivity-enhancing technological leap that the Government has identified and is trying to stimulate with its NBN and digital economy policies'¦Any steps to create new content rights needs to be balanced against the risk to innovation that benefits consumers, national competitiveness and productivity and, in the long term, the interests of content creators."

OzHub was formed in October 2011 by Macquarie Telecom, Fujitsu, Infoplex and VMware. "To build local consumer and business confidence in cloud computing'¦[and] to establish a regulation framework to promote good business practices and greater transparency to consumers about crucial issues such as where their personal data are held."

Macquarie said at the time: "Discussions are under way with future partners." However, according to the OzHub web site, no other organisations have yet joined.

When it launched OzHub, Macquarie Telecom said: that the founding members had "joined with Australia's telecommunications consumer representative body [ACCAN] in an initiative to build local consumer and business confidence in cloud computing."

ACCAN however is not a member of OzHub and an ACCAN spokesperson, told iTWire that it had not been consulted regarding OzHub's stance on copyright, and did not have any position on the issue.