The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has stepped into a Federal Court case to challenge the international agreement on regional coding of DVDs. It has described regional coding as an anti-competitive practice that disadvantages Australian consumers.
The commission this morning announced it was intervening as "a friend of the court" in an important Federal Court copyright case mounted by Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, "because it feared if Sony was successful, consumers stood to lose money on PlayStation 2 games purchased overseas at significantly cheaper prices by being denied the right to use them in Australia."
David Hellaby reported from Australia.