The Labour Party would remove the ability for internet accounts to be suspended under a copyright law that comes into effect tomorrow.
The Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act, designed to prevent illegal file sharing by internet users, was passed under urgency in April.
Under the law, copyright owners can send evidence of alleged infringements to internet service providers (ISPs), which would then send up to three infringement notices to the internet account holder.
If the warnings are ignored, the copyright owner can take a claim to the copyright Tribunal and the tribunal can make awards of up to $15,000 against the account holder.
The law has a provision to allow copyright holders to apply for suspension of service through the courts, but that would not come into force unless the Government considered the warning system ineffective.
Labour communications and IT spokeswoman Clare Curran today announced her party would introduce a bill to remove that provision within 90 days if it took office after the election.
The party would also undertake a review of the Copyright Act, with the aim of introducing a new bill within 18 months to update and extend the framework for digital copyright in New Zealand.
Ms Curran said the suspension provision was unsustainable and would not work in the long-term.
Labour had voted for the bill in April because it was committed to working with the Government to reach a compromise between rights holders and ISPs on copyright law, she said.
"Labour remains committed to protecting the rights of the creators of works," she said.
"This is a debate about shifting power, access to information, outdated business models and the immense potential of the internet to change our world.
"No parliament anywhere knows what to do about it yet, but Labour is committed to trying to find solutions."
The party would outline its broader approach to copyright as part of its communications, IT and innovation policies in coming weeks.
