In July, 1997, the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department issued a Discussion Paper entitled `Copyright Reform and the Digital Agenda' (`the Discussion Paper') which discussed the need for copyright reform in the light of digital technology and made several recommendations concerning changes to Australian copyright law.

[2] This article explains the major recommendations of the Discussion Paper and some of their implications. The Discussion Paper also raised a number of issues without providing firm recommendations concerning the resolution of those issues. These issues, such as the liability of Internet Service Providers (ISP's), are also discussed with particular emphasis on proposals contained in legislation which addresses these issues and which is presently before the Congress of the United States of America. Finally, some comments are made on the implications for Australia of existing and proposed American legislation