The government is updating copyright regulations to ensure the Copyright Act 1994 full takes account of New Zealand international copyright obligations, says Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith.

“When a foreign work is protected by copyright in New Zealand, it is protected because of international agreements to which New Zealand is a party to. Our Copyright Act needs updating from time to time to ensure continuity with our international obligations,” says Mr Goldsmith.

Amendments to the Copyright (Application to Other Countries) Order 1995 (the Order) will provide nationals of countries who have recently joined the World Trade Organization, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and the Universal Copyright Treaty with copyright protection in New Zealand.

“A significant number of new countries have joined one or more of these agreements since the Order was last updated in 2000.

“At the same time, amendments to the Order will help ensure New Zealand’s creative community of copyright owners receive reciprocal protection in these countries,” says Mr Goldsmith.

The update also includes some minor technical amendments to bring the language of regulations into line with changes previously made to the Copyright Act through the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008.

The regulation update takes effect 1 January 2017.