Why a review is needed

There have been significant technological changes since the last significant review of the Copyright Act in 2004.

The review is needed to ensure our copyright regime remains fit for purpose in the context of a rapidly changing technological environment. This environment is impacting the way we create, distribute and consume content.

Insights into this environment were highlighted in the Government’s study of the role of copyright and registered designs in the creative sector, completed in 2016:

Copyright and the Creative Sector report [PDF, 2.2 MB]

Objectives for use in the review

We are committed to reviewing copyright law against a set of objectives that express what we believe good copyright law looks like for New Zealand. We received feedback on what these objectives should be through the Issues Paper. In November 2019, we published a paper outlining revised objectives for copyright law in response to that feedback.

In response to stakeholder feedback we withdrew that paper in July 2020. The next step in the review will be to publicly consult on potential changes to the objectives. This will ensure all stakeholders have the opportunity to contribute to any changes to the original objectives. We hope to undertake this further consultation at the earliest opportunity in the next parliamentary term.

Issues Paper consultation