Submission to the New Zealand Review of the Copyright Act 1994: Issues Paper

IGEA has made a submission to the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) on its Review of the Copyright Act 1994: Issues Paper.

The New Zealand Government is undertaking a major review of its copyright regime to ensure that it remains fit for purpose in the context of a rapidly changing technological environment. MBIE released an Issues Paper as the first stage of public consultation and sought submissions from industry and the public.

IGEA’s submission highlighted the importance of the video games industry to the New Zealand economy and the unique challenges facing video game publishers, distributors and developers. Key points highlighted in IGEA’s submission include:

• A robust copyright regime that supports investment in content creation is vital to New Zealand’s economy, culture and society
• Video games, which can be worked on by thousands of people and involve a wide range of rights, are some of the most complex kinds of creative content and are constantly innovating
• Video games are becoming increasingly expensive and risky to develop, publish and distribute, so strong copyright protections are necessary to ensure that New Zealand remains a viable market to operate and invest in
• The video games industry in New Zealand continues to face significant threats from piracy and relies on a range of mechanisms, particularly technological protection measures, to help mitigate these threats
• Any reform of exceptions to copyright protection will require further consultation to ensure that they are carefully-considered, evidence-based and does not inadvertently create avenues for abuse.

IGEA looks forward to further contributing to future consultations on the review of the Copyright Act 1994.