Etsy, eBay and Alibaba remain critical of the government’s model for GST collection on low-value imported goods but have indicated that at this stage they don’t intend to follow in Amazon’s footsteps and implement a geoblocking system.
A tool to watch regionally restricted video content will no longer be offered in New Zealand, ending a lawsuit that could have clarified the legality of such services in the country.
Debate on the government's anti-piracy legislation is scheduled for next week according to the House of Representatives draft schedule, with the Coalition having previously indicated it wants the new law passed before parliament's winter break.
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has raised concerns that a government bill to block pirate websites may cover VPN services used to evade geo-blocking.
Australian consumer advocacy group Choice has welcomed an announcement by New Zealand Internet service provider Slingshot of a service that makes it easier to access overseas streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and BBC iPlayer.
Consumer advocacy organisations have called for government action after a parliamentary report on IT pricing found Australians on average are charged 50 per cent more than people in comparable countries.