In the face of considerable protest, New Zealand decided to scrap a stern, three-strikes copyright amendment.  That measure, Section 92A of the Copyright Act, is now being replaced with something a bit softer, according to details emerging Wednesday morning.  The latest version replaces 'three strikes' with 'three notices,' with lighter punishments for the worst offenders.

The new Copyright Act modification, currently being introduced in Parliament, starts by alerting users of infringing activity on their accounts.  After that, a sterner warning is sent, and a third letter is followed by fines and suspensions.  Complete terminations are not part of the refreshed approach, a shift that mirrors recent moves in the UK.

Other aspects are designed to avoid misfires.  The accused will have free access to a Copyright Tribunal to protest an accusation, and the bill points to independent processes for testing infringement claims.  The latest proposal, known as the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment, would totally overwrite 92A.