High Court iiTrial judgment set for next week

The High Court will hand down its much-anticipated judgment in the long-running legal battle between iiNet and copyright owners on Friday April 20, according to the internet service provider.

Confirmation was being sought from the court registry at time of writing.

The judgment comes five months after High Court judges heard the final round of arguments from legal counsel for the Perth-based ISP and copyright owners represented by the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT).

The High Court appeal brought by AFACT sought to overturn two Federal Court judgments that found iiNet had not authorised alleged copyright infringing activities committed by its subscribers.

The judgment has been widely anticipated by copyright owners, internet service providers and the Federal Government as it looks to set the first legal precedent on company liability for user actions.

The previous legal precedent, a 1975 case between the University of NSW and author Frank Moorhouse, was relied on heavily during all three trials before the Federal and High Courts.