A recent report from the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) has questioned whether current copyright legislation in the country is stunting the growth of cloud computing.

The ALRC particularly mused whether any modifications to the current law should contain exemptions for cloud services or not.

Kim Weatherall, legal academic, was cited in the report stating a belief that technology-specific exemptions could impede cloud services further.

The report, entitled “Copyright and the Digital Economy”, noted a case in Australia involving the Optus TV Now service, which – if the appeal does not go Optus’ way – will have to be suspended following appeals from the AFL (Australian Football League), the NRL (National Rugby League) and Australian mobile device provider Telstra.

A Federal Court decision ruled that Optus’ online television service was not protected by an exemption in the Copyright Act, leaving the mobile comms providers seemingly open to legal action from all sides …