Australia currently provides protections, via the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (Cth) (ASIC Act), against unfair contract terms (Unfair Contract Terms Regime). The Unfair Contract Terms Regime applies to consumer contracts and small business contracts that are considered standard form contracts.
Read MoreThe metaverse is an interactive digital environment encompassing all virtual worlds, augmented reality and the internet. A space where users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users in real time. In simple terms, a 3D version of the internet. 1. Facebook’s nod to the metaverse Following Facebook’s rebranding to Meta, privacy concerns have been raised given Facebook’s history…
Read MoreKey takeaways Recent developments of ChatGPT has triggered debate surrounding the legalities of its content. ChatGPT threatens authors and artists whose work may be used in ChatGPT content without their permission. ChatGPT also raises copyright issues for those who use ChatGPT to create content, as without a human author, it can be difficult to claim copyright infringement. ChatGPT is an…
Read MoreMost of you will have heard Ed Sheeran's blockbuster song 'Shape of You', the most streamed song in Spotify's history with over 3 billion streams. You may also have heard about the copyright case in which Sheeran and his co-writers were accused of plagiarising the 2015 song 'Oh Why' by Sami Chokri...
Read MoreHave you recently received a text that didn’t seem right? Maybe it looked like one of these: 'Your package is on its way: get it as soon as possible! Click this link!' 'Hello, I've seen this video of you on the internet! Click here to see!' 'Hi, do you need a part time job? Click this link!' If that's a yes...
Read MoreIn early March 2022, Rod Sims handed down the ACCC's 2022/2023 Compliance and Enforcement Priorities. Some issues and industries of concern include manipulative digital advertising techniques, exclusive arrangements that impact competition and false 'green' credentials.
Read MoreWhen seeking out answers, we all reach for Google, the most commonly used platform for information searches. Often, we assume that our search results are accurate. Accuracy is very important when businesses market their products and services on the internet. It is for this reason that they should ensure they do not...
Read MoreThere is a proliferation of ransomware attacks, with reports of a 200% increase in attacks against Australian organisations in recent months. On a global scale, the average cost of cybercrime continues to rise, according to the latest ‘Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021’ by IBM and the Ponemon Institute...
Read MoreState and territory consumer affairs ministers have recently agreed to strengthen the Australian Consumer Law unfair contract terms regime. Key proposed changes, as outlined in the Treasury’s Regulation Impact Statement...
Read MoreIn part 1 of our series on negotiating IT services agreement, we focussed on the importance of clearly defining the parties’ primary responsibilities in IT projects. In part 2, we now focus on other key pitfalls that may ‘make or break’ your IT project.
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