Melbourne Law School - Research Publications
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ItemA Bit Liable: A Guide to Navigating the US Secondary Liability Patchwork(Santa Clara University School of Law, 2008)In terms of scholarly and media attention, copyright's secondary liability doctrines long played a bit-part alongside direct liability's leading lady. But since peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing providers began facilitating billions of copyright infringements a decade ago, those unassuming doctrines have been forced into starring roles. This article shines a spotlight on U.S. secondary liability law ten years after it first took center stage, highlighting the myriad uncertainties and controversies that now plague its operation. These uncertainties are illustrated with detailed reference to the hypothetical secondary liability of BitTorrent Inc., the original and as-yet unlitigated provider of the world's most dominant P2P file-sharing tool. This work argues that the rhetoric underpinning the existing secondary liability law is strongly protective of technology, but that the breadth and depth of the uncertainties surrounding its proper application effectively abrogates those protections by stealth.
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ItemThe Uncertainties, Baby: Hidden Perils of Australia's Authorisation Law(Thomson Reuters, 2009)As digital copying and online distribution become increasingly prevalent, the issue of when a technology provider can be held liable for its users’ infringements grows commensurately more important. In Australia, such liability is imposed through the tort of authorisation, which provides that a defendant will be liable if it “sanctioned, approved or countenanced” a third party infringement. Despite its significance however, some of the principal elements of the doctrine remain unclear. After tracing the origins and development of authorisation in Australia, the work explores the main uncertainties that plague the law today. With reference to the BitTorrent file sharing software, the work then explicitly highlights the ways in which those uncertainties may affect the provider of a useful technology that has both non-infringing and infringing uses. The underlying theme of the work is that, by failing to unequivocally dismiss the increasingly expansionist arguments that are being raised in this context, courts are inadvertently promulgating a de facto expansion of the Australian authorisation law. It concludes by arguing that, unless courts start concertedly addressing the law’s uncertainties and ambiguities, the law will continue to have a more dampening effect on technological innovation in Australia than courts or the legislature ever intended.
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ItemAvoiding conflict: What do adolescents with disordered eating say about their mothers in music therapy?(SAGE Publications, 2008-06-01)Music therapy is an integral part of the inpatient treatment programme for young women with disordered eating at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. As part of ongoing clinical audit activities, an investigation was undertaken to analyse retrospectively the lyrics of young women who had participated in the music therapy programme. The¬¬¬¬¬¬ purpose was to monitor and improve local clinical practice and clarify the specific contribution of music therapy to the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa. Results highlighted the role of mothers in the experiences of the young participants, with references to this relationship exceeding those to any other relationships. These findings are discussed in conjunction with an abandoned study where parental consent was not forthcoming for participation in a group music therapy research project. This article promotes a continuing awareness of the importance of the mother-daughter relationship in the treatment of eating disorders.
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ItemCopyright and cultural institutions: Guidelines for digitization for U.S. libraries, archives, and museums(Cornell University Library, 2009)The development of new digital technologies has led to fundamental changes in the ways that cultural institutions fulfill their public missions of access, preservation, research, and education. Many institutions are developing publicly accessible Web sites that allow users to visit online exhibitions, search collection databases, access images of collection items, and in some cases create their own digital content. Digitization, however, also raises the possibility of copyright infringement. It is imperative that staff in libraries, archives, and museums understand fundamental copyright principles and how institutional procedures can be affected by the law. “Copyright and Cultural Institutions” was written to assist understanding and compliance with copyright law. It addresses the basics of copyright law and the exclusive rights of the copyright owner, the major exemptions used by cultural heritage institutions, and stresses the importance of “risk assessment” when conducting any digitization project. Case studies on digitizing oral histories and student work are also included.
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ItemA Changing of the Guard: Enforcement of Workplace Relations Laws Since Work Choices and Beyond(The Federation Press, 2009)
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ItemChanging work organisation and skill requirements(National Institute of Labour Studies Incorporated, 2009)This paper brings together all the case studies of work organisation and workplace change in Australian workplaces during the past decade, using these to assess exactly what we do and do not know about such change and its effects on skill requirements.
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ItemBeyond Reasonableness--A Rigorous Standard of Review for Article 15 Infringement(Indian Law Institute, 2008)
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ItemAudio-visual presentation of information for informed consent for participation in clinical trials(WILEY, 2008)BACKGROUND: Informed consent is a critical component of clinical research. Different methods of presenting information to potential participants of clinical trials may improve the informed consent process. Audio-visual interventions (presented for example on the Internet, DVD, or video cassette) are one such method. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of providing audio-visual information alone, or in conjunction with standard forms of information provision, to potential clinical trial participants in the informed consent process, in terms of their satisfaction, understanding and recall of information about the study, level of anxiety and their decision whether or not to participate. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched: the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group Specialised Register (searched 20 June 2006); the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), The Cochrane Library, issue 2, 2006; MEDLINE (Ovid) (1966 to June week 1 2006); EMBASE (Ovid) (1988 to 2006 week 24); and other databases. We also searched reference lists of included studies and relevant review articles, and contacted study authors and experts. There were no language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing audio-visual information alone, or in conjunction with standard forms of information provision (such as written or oral information as usually employed in the particular service setting), with standard forms of information provision alone, in the informed consent process for clinical trials. Trials involved individuals or their guardians asked to participate in a real (not hypothetical) clinical study. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently assessed studies for inclusion and extracted data. Due to heterogeneity no meta-analysis was possible; we present the findings in a narrative review. MAIN RESULTS: We included 4 trials involving data from 511 people. Studies were set in the USA and Canada. Three were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and the fourth a quasi-randomised trial. Their quality was mixed and results should be interpreted with caution. Considerable uncertainty remains about the effects of audio-visual interventions, compared with standard forms of information provision (such as written or oral information normally used in the particular setting), for use in the process of obtaining informed consent for clinical trials. Audio-visual interventions did not consistently increase participants' levels of knowledge/understanding (assessed in four studies), although one study showed better retention of knowledge amongst intervention recipients. An audio-visual intervention may transiently increase people's willingness to participate in trials (one study), but this was not sustained at two to four weeks post-intervention. Perceived worth of the trial did not appear to be influenced by an audio-visual intervention (one study), but another study suggested that the quality of information disclosed may be enhanced by an audio-visual intervention. Many relevant outcomes including harms were not measured. The heterogeneity in results may reflect the differences in intervention design, content and delivery, the populations studied and the diverse methods of outcome assessment in included studies. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The value of audio-visual interventions for people considering participating in clinical trials remains unclear. Evidence is mixed as to whether audio-visual interventions enhance people's knowledge of the trial they are considering entering, and/or the health condition the trial is designed to address; one study showed improved retention of knowledge amongst intervention recipients. The intervention may also have small positive effects on the quality of information disclosed, and may increase willingness to participate in the short-term; however the evidence is weak. There were no data for several primary outcomes, including harms. In the absence of clear results, triallists should continue to explore innovative methods of providing information to potential trial participants. Further research should take the form of high-quality randomised controlled trials, with clear reporting of methods. Studies should conduct content assessment of audio-visual and other innovative interventions for people of differing levels of understanding and education; also for different age and cultural groups. Researchers should assess systematically the effects of different intervention components and delivery characteristics, and should involve consumers in intervention development. Studies should assess additional outcomes relevant to individuals' decisional capacity, using validated tools, including satisfaction; anxiety; and adherence to the subsequent trial protocol.