Editorial
It's the fourth week of 2007 and all (touch wood) is well in the McEldowney household.
My dog - whose favourite past time pre-2007 was to dig holes under construction sites and get himself stuck - has suddenly learnt there are much more productive ways to use his prodigious talents.
Unlike his two-legged mother, my Jack has learnt to not only dig holes - in much more appropriate places - but actually to dig himself out of them as well.
As if this news wasn't good enough, my Scottish-extracted husband-to-be also appears to have taken a beating from the good behaviour baton.
No more mindless quibbling about whether we can afford to waste water flushing the toilet after each use. Not only have I been given unrestricted permission to flush, as a special New year's treat I was even allowed to bathe, in the bath that is not, of course, the toilet.
And so with all this goodwill floating around, I thought it about time I shared some of the changes happening within the sector at an administrative level that you may or may not have been made aware of.
On the face of it they appear to be steps in the right direction. Whether they ultimately prove good news to an industry that's had more than its share of bad, has, of course, yet to be seen.
The first falls under the guise of an amendment to the Customs provisions in the Trade Marks Act 1995.
At present, registered trade mark owners can ask Customs to keep a watchful eye over any goods that arrive into Australia via its borders and ports. The purpose is to offer brand owners an opportunity to identify any of their - usually counterfeited - trade marks by providing a written notice of objection, along with a $10,000 bond. Customs then seize the goods.
Currently, this notice remains in effect for two years before brand owners need to stump up for a renewal. However under the change, which came into effect last October, the notices stay in effect for four years, reducing the time and burden of having to renew the notice every 24 months.
Further to this the days of having to front up with a $10,000 cash bond or bank guarantee will soon be gone. As of April 23, this will be replaced by a written undertaking on behalf of the brand owner to repay the government the cost of seizing the goods.
The second piece of news I have concerns amendments to the Copyright Act 1968.
The Bill, introduced on January 1, includes a new enforcement provision to deal with online piracy. The best bit about these changes, to cut a long story short, is that it makes a provision for enforcement officers to issue on the spot fines for apparent copyright infringement of up to $1,320 per offence.
The third piece of news - and ultimately the best - is that which you currently hold in your hand. I am rapt to inform you that you are presently midway through the hottest fortnightly read on the market with many more pages of fascinating opinions, insights and industry-specific information lying in wait for you.
All in all, I reckon 2007 has got off to a flying start, let's just hope it stays that way.