Selling etc. unauthorised recording
248PI Selling etc. unauthorised recording
Indictable offence
A person commits an offence if:
the person does any of the following acts:
sells a recording of a performance;
lets for hire a recording of a performance;
by way of trade offers or exposes for sale or hire a recording of a performance; and
the act is done during the protection period of the performance; and
the recording is an unauthorised recording.
Under section 248CA, the protection period of a performance is:
a 20‑year protection period so far as this section relates to a cinematograph film of the performance; and
a 50‑year protection period so far as this section relates to a sound recording of the performance.
An offence against subsection (1) is punishable on conviction by a fine of not more than 550 penalty units or imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or both.
A corporation may be fined up to 5 times the amount of the maximum fine (see subsection 4B(3) of the Crimes Act 1914).
Summary offence
A person commits an offence if:
the person does any of the following acts:
sells a recording of a performance;
lets for hire a recording of a performance;
by way of trade offers or exposes for sale or hire a recording of a performance; and
the act is done during the protection period of the performance; and
the recording is an unauthorised recording and the person is negligent as to that fact.
Penalty: 120 penalty units or imprisonment for 2 years, or both.
An offence against subsection (3) is a summary offence, despite section 4G of the Crimes Act 1914.
Strict liability offence
A person commits an offence if:
the person does any of the following acts:
sells a recording of a performance;
lets for hire a recording of a performance;
by way of trade offers or exposes for sale or hire a recording of a performance; and
the act is done during the protection period of the performance; and
the recording is an unauthorised recording.
Penalty: 60 penalty units.
Subsection (5) is an offence of strict liability.
For strict liability, see section 6.1 of the Criminal Code.
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