High Court protects press freedom over trespass footage
High Court protected third parties' press freedom over copyright control.
Activists trespassed at a Victorian slaughterhouse to film footage. The footage allegedly showed animals not unconscious before slaughter.
The slaughterhouse tried to gain copyright to stop anyone, including journalists, from sharing it. The High Court ruled the business cannot use copyright for control.
This would harm public freedom of expression. But the court ordered the activists themselves to destroy their copies.
The ruling protects journalists and whistleblowers who receive such footage. They cannot be sued if the footage reaches them before courts intervene.
Animal welfare scandals in Australia have usually been exposed by activists and media. Regulators have played a smaller role.
- Farm Transparency International
- Activist group
- Seven times in 2024
- Trespasses at facility
Why it mattersThe decision protects journalists and whistleblowers who expose wrongdoing. It prevents companies from using copyright to block evidence of illegal or unethical practices.
AustraliaRegulatory investigations into Australian abattoirs and animal welfare breaches may now reach public view more freely, though businesses can still pursue trespassers.
