FINKELSTEIN J:
7 It is usually apparent whether a particular work may be the subject of copyright. The precise identification of that work will also cause no difficulty in most cases. Speaking generally, copyright subsists in a work of a particular kind, generally a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work. But a work cannot be copyright unless it is fixed in some material form: Tate v Fullbrook [1908] 1 KB 821, 832-833. So the work can be seen and its character and scope identified. There are, however, some exceptions, and this case deals with one of those exceptions. This appeal is concerned with copyright in a television broadcast. The issue is whether Channel Ten has infringed copyright in a number of television broadcasts made by Channel Nine. To resolve this dispute it is necessary to identify the precise subject matter in which Channel Nine claims copyright. The reason why the subject matter must be identified with some precision is that copyright can be infringed if either the whole of the subject matter in which there is copyright or a substantial part of that subject matter has been copied: s 14 of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Thus the first step in a copyright infringement case is to identify the work or subject matter of copyright. The second step is to determine whether the whole or a substantial part of that work or subject matter has been copied without permission. In some cases there will be a third step. There are exceptions to the monopoly rights given to copyright owners. Fair dealing is one of those exceptions. The Copyright Act confers a privilege on third parties to use copyright material without the consent of the owner in certain circumstances. The doctrine developed to resolve the tension between, on the one hand, the monopoly granted to the owner and, on the other hand, the public interest.
8 A television broadcast differs from most other subject matter in which there is copyright because it does not exist in any tangible form. According to s 91 of the Copyright Act, copyright subsists in a television broadcast made from a place in Australia. Section 99 provides that the maker of the broadcast is the owner of that copyright. But what is a "television broadcast". The answer is to be found principally in two definitions in s 10. First there is the definition of "television broadcast" which means "visual images broadcast by way of television, together with any sounds broadcast for reception along with those images." The second is the definition of "broadcast" which means "a communication to the public delivered by a broadcasting service within the meaning of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992." Channel Nine is such a service.
9 I will return to these definitions in a moment, but before doing so I wish to draw attention to some other provisions in the Copyright Act. The first is s 101 which sets out what conduct will infringe copyright in a television broadcast. The section relevantly provides:
"(1) Subject to this Act, a copyright subsisting by virtue of this Part is infringed by a person who, not being the owner of the copyright, and without the licence of the owner of the copyright, does in Australia, or authorizes the doing in Australia of, any act comprised in the copyright.
…
(4) Subsection (1) applies in relation to an act done in relation to a television broadcast or a sound broadcast whether the act is done by the reception of the broadcast or by making use of any article or thing in which the visual images and sounds comprised in the broadcast have been embodied."
10 This takes us to s 87 where there is an explanation of the nature of copyright that subsists in a television broadcast. Section 87 provides that copyright in relation to television broadcast is the exclusive right:
"(a) in the case of a television broadcast in so far as it consists of visual images - to make a cinematograph film of the broadcast, or a copy of such a film;
(b) in the case of a sound broadcast, or of a television broadcast in so far as it consists of sounds - to make a sound recording of the broadcast, or a copy of such a sound recording; and
(c) in the case of a television broadcast or of a sound broadcast - to re-broadcast it or communicate it to the public otherwise than by broadcasting it."
11 These provisions show that in so far as a television broadcast is concerned copyright subsists in visual images (and any accompanying sound). To understand what these images are, it is instructive to refer to another subject matter of copyright, namely a cinematograph film. Copyright in a cinematograph film is conferred by s 90. In s 10 a cinematograph film is defined to mean:
"[T]he aggregate of the visual images embodied in an article or thing so as to be capable by the use of that article or thing:
(a) of being shown as a moving picture; or
(b) of being embodied in another article or thing by the use of which it can be so shown;
and includes the aggregate of the sounds embodied in a sound-track associated with such visual images."
12 One can immediately see a distinction between what constitutes a television broadcast and what constitutes a cinematograph film. A television broadcast is defined by reference to the visual images that are broadcast, whereas a cinematograph film is more than a series of visual images. It is the aggregate of those images when they are embodied in an article or thing.
13 The distinction between, on the one hand, visual images and, on the other hand, an aggregate of visual images is important when one is attempting to identify precisely the visual images that constitute a television broadcast. It will be appreciated that what appears on a television screen is a sequence of still images of pictures which, when shown in rapid succession, give the appearance of a moving scene. Once it is seen that the visual images that constitute the broadcast need not be an aggregate of images it follows, in my opinion, that there is copyright either in each and every still image which is transmitted or in each and every visual image that is capable of being observed as a separate image on a television screen.
14 This position may be contrasted with that in the United States. There copyright is given to a television broadcast as an original work provided it be "fixed in any tangible medium of expression": 17 USC s 102(a). Section 101 of the Act, containing definitions, provides "[a] work consisting of sounds, images, or both, that are being transmitted, is 'fixed' for the purposes of this title if a fixation of the work is being made simultaneously with its transmission". Accordingly, if the whole work is not taken, it is necessary to decide whether a substantial part has been. See eg New Boston Television Inc v Entertainment Sports Programming Network Inc 215 USPQ 755 (1981), where the court was required to consider whether highlights of a football game, although of a relatively short duration, were a taking of the substantial part of the game.
15 For these reasons, together with the reasons given by Hely J, with which I agree, I would hold that Channel Ten has breached copyright in each of the broadcasts in suit, unless Channel Ten can show that it made use of those broadcasts "for the purpose of criticism or review" (s 103A) or "for the purpose of, or [in association] with, the reporting of news" (s 103B). These are the "fair dealing" defences.
16 On this aspect of the appeal it is necessary to consider the tentative findings of the trial judge (he was not required to decide whether the defences applied as he found that there was no copyright infringement), to see whether any error is disclosed. In this regard, it needs to be acknowledged that we are in the realm of decision-making where there is room for legitimate differences of opinion as to the correct answer. In some instances it might be impossible to say whether one view is demonstrably right and another view is demonstrably wrong. It has been said of such a case that the appeal court should not interfere with the conclusion reached by the trial judge unless it is satisfied that the trial judge proceeded upon some erroneous principle or was plainly and obviously wrong: George Mitchell (Chesterhall) Ltd v Finney Lock Seeds Ltd (1983) 2 AC 803, 815-816 per Lord Bridge. On the other hand where, as here, not only are the relevant facts not in dispute, but the appeal court is in precisely the same position as the trial judge to decide upon proper inferences to be drawn from the relevant evidence (which consists solely of the alleged infringing broadcasts), then cases such as Warren v Coombes (1979)142 CLR 531 and Taylor v Johnson (1983) 151 CLR 422 suggest that there is no reason why findings made by the trial judge should be regarded as especially immune from appellate review: see Antonovic v Volker (1986) 7 NSWLR 151, 155. That is not to say that respect and weight should not be given to the conclusions which the trial judge has drawn from the evidence. However, once the appeal court has reached its own conclusions on the facts, it should not shrink from giving effect to those conclusions: Lend Lease Development Pty Ltd v Zemlicka (1985) 3 NSWLR 207. This is not a case of the type referred to by Lord Hoffmann in Biogen Inc v Medeva PLC (1997) RPC 1 at 45, which requires appellate caution in overturning a judge's evaluation of the facts "because specific findings of fact, even by the most meticulous judge, are inherently an incomplete statement of the impression which was made upon him by the primary evidence. His expressed findings are always surrounded by a penumbra of imprecision as to emphasis, relative weight, minor qualifications and nuance (as Renan said, la vérité est dans une nuance), of which time and language do not permit exact expression, but which may play an important part in the judge's overall evaluation." It is not such a case because the primary evidence only consists of the alleged infringing broadcasts, and we are able to consider that evidence as well as the trial judge.
17 On the question of fair dealing, I agree in the reasons of Hely J except with regard to three broadcasts. To understand our differences, I need to say something about the program on which they were broadcast. The program is styled The Panel. The Panel is a late night television program, screened weekly on Channel Ten. The regular members of The Panel are Tom Gleisner, Rob Sitch, Kate Langbroek, Glenn Robbins (some viewers refer to him as "Uncle Arthur") and Santo Cilauro. They are well known personalities. The program's production company, Working Dog Pty Ltd, has also produced The Castle and The Dish, two highly successful comedy feature films. The Panel adopts an unusual format. Members of The Panel (not always all of them) sit around an oval desk, often with one or more invited guests, and discuss in a humorous way a variety of topics including, but not limited to, current affairs, sport, the arts and other items which they think are of interest. Although there is some serious discussion, the items are usually presented in an entertaining manner. The Channel Ten website invites people to "[t]une into The Panel for an irreverent look at the week's events, featuring news, views and reviews." The discussion is, or at least appears to be, largely unscripted, though the choice of topics must have been settled in advance. The show is punctuated by pre-recorded excerpts of other television programs. While there appears to be no evidence on this point, a casual observer of the show might conclude that Channel Nine programs are a favourite target.
18 Let me now deal with the broadcasts where I am in disagreement with Hely J.
The Today Show
19 The context is a discussion about Australia as a republic. The issue is whether the republican cause was doomed. Reference is made to the fact that a number of popular personalities, Thomas Keneally (a well-known author), Billy Thorpe (an aging rock star) and Bryan Brown (an Australian actor), had climbed Mt Kosciuszko in aid of the republican cause. Then the discussion moves to the powers that could be conferred on the president of a republican Australia. In this context Boris Yeltsin is mentioned. Santo says that there should be some limitations on the powers of a president in case a person like Boris Yeltsin is appointed. There is then shown an excerpt of Boris Yeltsin shaking hands with three former Russian Prime Ministers. Glenn asks, by reference to Yeltsin, at what point a person would be too old to take on the office of president. The suggestion is made that regardless of Yeltsin's actual age, he is probably too old to be president because, as Santo put it, "he feels like your grandad". The Panel's consensus seems to be that it is necessary for a president to have experience, wisdom and memory, at least to "remember what you know". The discussion then moves to the age of other world leaders.
20 When the segment was broadcast, the question whether Australia should become a republic was a significant political issue. The referendum for constitutional amendments had been announced, and the segment must be considered in that context. The discussion whether there should be an age limit imposed on a president, while considered in a humorous way because of Yeltsin's known drinking and memory problems, was newsworthy. That is all that is required for fair dealing under s 103B(1)(b).
Midday
21 The Midday Show, as its title indicates, is a show Channel Nine formerly broadcast at midday each day. It had a studio audience and was, or purported to be, a live to air program catering for people who happen to be at home at that time of day. The presenter, Ms Kerri-Anne Kennerley, is a well-known television presenter. A feature of the Midday Show was that it dealt with topical events and often had invited guests. During the program in question, the Prime Minister was an invited guest and was interviewed by Ms Kennerley. She asked the Prime Minister to sing happy birthday for Sir Donald Bradman, Australia's greatest cricketer.
22 The Panel replayed the Prime Minister singing. Members of the Panel then made humorous, but disparaging, comments about the manner in which the Prime Minister performed. It was suggested that Ms Kennerley must be a Labor supporter because during a previous show she had also made the Treasurer "look like an idiot". Fair dealing is made out in two respects. First the Panel is undertaking a review of sorts of the Midday Show. Indeed, after the excerpt was shown, there was a general discussion about Ms Kennerley's talents as the program's host. Second, and more obviously, an incident where the Prime Minister of a country has behaved in a way which some might call "silly" is certainly newsworthy. It is not only the political activities of a person such as a Prime Minister that make the news. His or her perceived indiscretions or other unusual actions warrant reporting. In a sense, all behaviour of a Prime Minister can be regarded as "political" because it may affect voters' perceptions and is newsworthy for that reason.
Simply the Best
23 Simply the Best was a evening television program hosted by Ray Martin, who is yet another well-known personality. The precise nature of the program is not apparent, but it seems that minor celebrities were invited to appear before a live audience. During the course of the show, the audience was asked to cast a vote on which is the "best" of a variety of things. In this particular program the Panel broadcast a segment showing Mr Martin walking on to the studio set and another segment where the audience was asked to vote on how much they liked "Bandstand" and "Countdown", each of which was a television program in which rock 'n roll music was performed.
24 The Panel introduced the first excerpt by commenting on the studio set. Tom said that it was a cross between that used on the television programs "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and "The Footy Show", and "an inner city brothel". While the excerpt was being played, Tom commented "[t]hey've recycled a few sets there". Clearly this was criticism about the production side of the program. The second excerpt was introduced by Kate with the comment that it was not possible to understand the basis on which the audience was being asked to vote. It was said that the voting had no context. Immediately after the excerpt was broadcast, other members of The Panel said, in effect, that one could not tell what the voting was about. Various possibilities were discussed. From the segment of the show that I was able to see, the criticism, for that is what it was, about the show's format appears to be justified. The defence of fair dealing under s 103A is made out.
25 I agree in the orders proposed by Hely J save in respect to the three programs which in my view are not infringing broadcasts.
I certify that the preceding nineteen (19) numbered paragraphs are a true copy of the Reasons for Judgment of the Honourable Justice Finkelstein.