Conroy not to push file-sharing legislation

Communications minister Stephen Conroy has said he will prefer to encourage the internet and entertainment industries to work together, rather than seek legislation to catch out file sharers.

Conroy told the Hungry Beast website that the recent iiNet case was disappointing, and that more should be done for the industries to work together.

“It’s always disappointing when situations like this end up in court,” he said. “I think that a mature approach by both the movie industry and the internet industry – sitting down, having a conversation and coming up with a code of practice – is the absolutely preferable outcome.”

“I’ve been trying for two years to encourage the sectors to have a dialogue and they’ve got themselves into a court battle,” he said. “But what I would still hope is that we can bring them together to sit down and settle their differences, create a code of practice that actually protects both parties.”