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NSW announces proposed criminalisation of AI deepfakes
In response to an April 2025 NSW parliamentary report which identified gaps in the State’s Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) (NSW Crimes Act), the Minns Labour Government have announced their intention to criminalise the creation and distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes and intimate images.
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Minister rules out copyright exemptions for AI
On 6 August 2025, during an interview on ABC News Breakfast, the Minister for Industry, Mr Tim Ayres, addressed the Federal Government’s position on the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) in Australia. At approximately four (4) minutes and fifty-three (53) seconds into the segment, the Minister confirmed that there are “no plans to make changes”…
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Malcolm Burrows on ABC’s “Legal Eagles” segment – artificial intelligence law
On 30 July 2025, Malcolm Burrows appeared live on Katherine Feeney’s ABC Radio program, “Legal Eagles” as the Technology and Intellectual Property Lawyer to discuss legal issues associated with the adoption of artificial intelligence.
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Ransomware payment reporting obligations
A “Ransomware Attack” is a cyber security breach in which a malicious actor gains unauthorised access to a computer system or network and then encrypts, exfiltrates, or otherwise compromises data or functionality.[1] Ransomware Attacks have become increasingly sophisticated, financially motivated, and disruptive across all sectors, prompting legislative intervention to regulate responses and improve national cyber…
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Default judgment – contumacious non-compliance with Court orders
The recent Federal Court case of Pieman v Monks Resources PL v Monks [2025] FCA 88 (Pieman v Monks v Monks) shows the lengths a plaintiff must go to before the Court will order default judgment based on ongoing failure by a defendant to comply with orders. The case involved allegations of misleading and deceptive…
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When a thumbs up emoji means accepting an offer
In a time where communication increasingly takes place through text messages and social media platforms, the legal recognition of non-traditional expressions, such as emojis, presents a potential evolution of the doctrine of acceptance in contract law. The 2023 Canadian decision by the Saskatchewan Court of King’s Bench (Court) in South West Terminal Ltd v Achter…
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How are Google and Microsoft implementing age verification?
From 27 December 2025, all ‘internet search engine services’ operating in Australia will be legally required to comply with Schedule 3 – Internet Search Engine Services Online Safety Code (Class 1C and Class 2 Material) (Code) registered under the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) (eSafety Act). The Code, registered by the eSafety Commissioner on 27…
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Appointment of experts by arbitral tribunal
Article 26 (Article 26) of the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration (Model Law) empowers an arbitral tribunal (Tribunal) to appoint its own expert in a dispute.[1] The expert’s role is to create a report and provide oral testimony. While parties may appoint their own experts, doing so can contravene principles of impartiality and…
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Risks when implementing retrieval-augmented generation systems
Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) is an artificial intelligence (AI) system architecture that combines large language models (LLMs), such as GPT-4, with external data retrieval processes.
