07 SEPTEMBER 11

Do you know exactly what your employees are doing on their computers at every moment of every day?  Do you know when they are on the Internet and what they are downloading?  If not, then your business could potentially be at risk of violating the Copyright (Infringing File Sharing) Amendment Act.
 

This new law came into effect on 1st September 2011 and seeks to tackle illegal file downloading and peer-to-peer file sharing, including unauthorised movie, music, book, game and software downloads.  It is a ‘three-strikes’ law with notifications that include a Detection Notice, a Warning Notice and finally an Enforcement Notice.  Those found guilty of infringement can be taken to the Copyright Tribunal and could face fines of up to $15,000 per instance.

BEWARE: The person or company that OWNS and PAYS for the Internet account is liable for the copyright breach, whether they are the offending party or not.
 

One of the difficulties with this law is that the infringer is guilty until proven innocent, and because they are only able to track the IP address (the specific Internet address assigned to each Internet connection), the owner of that IP address (the account holder) will be considered the infringer, without regard to whom the user is.  This means that if employees download copyrighted material over your business network, it’s the business that will be liable.
 

With the introduction of this Act it has become more important than ever for business owners to have appropriate tools in place which monitor and control the use of their Internet connection.
 

INTRODUCING THE MAKO FIREWALL

The Mako Firewall protects your network from the outside world with full firewall capabilities and reports on attacks on your network. Optimus Systems is able to offer a comprehensive web content filtering service that gives total control over employee web access.  It can give your business complete visibility of your Internet connection, providing reports on who is accessing the Internet and exactly how they are using it.  

Using the Mako system, we can set up your firewall ruleset to prohibit peer-to-peer file sharing applications from accessing the Internet.  This ruleset, combined with web content filtering, can empower your business to protect itself from being in violation of this landmark new law.

 

Key Benefits:

An informational website dedicated to this new law has been set up, and we recommend that every business owner reviews its implications: www.3strikes.net.nz

If you want to mitigate your employer risk and increase workplace productivity, contact us today and we can discuss a solution to suit your business requirements.