Rulings force pirates to walk plank
MORE than 50 pirate websites illegally sharing movies and TV shows will be blocked in Australia within days.
The Federal Court ruled in favour of filmmakers and payTV provider Foxtel in two separate cases yesterday. The targeted internet service providers have 15 days to disable access to the online locations engaging in or facilitating copyright infringement. The two cases in NSW Federal Court, brought by Roadshow Films and Foxtel, which is jointly owned by Telstra and News Corp, ordered that access to 59 websites and 127 web domains be blocked. Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh said blocking access to pirate sites was an important part of stopping online theft, including Foxtel show Game of Thrones ( starring Emilia Clarke, pictured), the most pirated series in the world for five years.
MORE IN BUSINESS: P40 CASH- S TRAPPED Aust r a - lians struggling to pay everyday expenses are racking up soaring amounts on their credit cards for costs including groceries, petrol and council rates, new figures reveal.
Statistics from National Australia Bank data have shown the average Australian is spending higher amounts on their credit cards for basic expenses than they were five years ago. Among the worst categories for increased spending are government costs such as council rates ( spending climbed 124 per cent), supermarket spending ( up 64 per cent) and car expenses including petrol ( up 43 per cent.)
Latest Reserve Bank of Australia data shows the nation’s credit card debt levels are far from subsiding – in June this year Australians owed $ 52.3 billion on plastic, with about $ 32.3 billion accruing interest.
Tribeca Financial’s chief executive officer Ryan Watson said there was cause for concern. “Our drastic increase in the need just to purchase the bare essentials, for example groceries on credit cards shows severe warning signs for our economy,’’ he said.
Financial comparison website RateCity’s data shows the average credit card interest rate is 17 per cent but some customers pay up to 25 per cent.