AI
Google and Microsoft push for softer copyright rules in Australia
Capital Brief’s John Buckley reports that Google and Microsoft have urged Australia to relax copyright laws, warning the country risks losing AI investment without text and data mining exemptions.
Google said regulatory uncertainty could push resources to other Asia-Pacific markets, while Microsoft argued a clear carve-out is needed for AI to legally analyse public data.
With both tech giants investing heavily in AI, their pressure adds weight to calls for Canberra to rethink copyright settings.
Canberra stays firm on media code despite Trump warning
The Albanese government is sticking with plans to expand the News Media Bargaining Code, with Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino continuing talks with publishers and platforms.
According to Paul Smith and Sam Buckingham-Jones in the Australian Financial Review, a promised “News Media Incentive” remains stalled, with no discussion paper released since last year’s announcement.
Trump has entered the fray, warning that countries introducing new digital taxes or rules will face tariffs on US tech companies.
Legal
Verdict nears in Reynolds defamation case
The WA Supreme Court is set to rule on Linda Reynolds’ defamation case against Brittany Higgins, almost a year after their five-week trial.
Reynolds alleges Higgins defamed her in 2023 social media posts.
As Sarah Basford Canales writes in The Guardian, the proceedings revisited events from Higgins’ alleged rape by Bruce Lehrmann in 2019 through to last year’s hearings.
Streaming
Spotify adds in-app messaging for music sharing
Spotify is rolling out a new direct messaging feature so users can swap songs, podcasts and audiobooks without jumping to WhatsApp or socials.
As Jess Weatherbed writes in The Verge, the update is launching this week in select markets for Free and Premium users aged 16 and up.
Recommendations can be shared straight from the Now Playing screen with friends on the same plan or people you’ve already connected with through Blends, Jams or Collaborative Playlists.
Netflix faces backlash over latest price hike
Netflix has quietly lifted its prices again, with subscribers on all plans now paying more each month.
The ad-supported tier jumps from $7.99 to $9.99, the standard ad-free plan climbs to $20.99, and premium subscribers will fork out $28.99.
As Joshua Haigh writes on news.com.au adding an extra member now costs an additional $1.
K-pop animation smashes Netflix records
The Guardian’s Michael Savage writes that KPop Demon Hunters has stormed past all expectations, becoming Netflix’s most-watched film ever with more than 236 million views.
The animated feature follows a girl group who split their time between global stardom and saving the world from demons.
The film, which dropped in June, has leapfrogged Red Notice to claim the top spot in Netflix’s history, an impressive feat given the Hollywood muscle behind the previous record-holder.
Social Media
VPN providers expect surge as social media age ban nears
Australia’s under-16 social media ban takes effect on December 10, with platforms facing fines of up to $49.5 million if they fail to comply.
As Sam Buckingham-Jones writes in the Australian Financial Review, VPN providers are already predicting a boom, pointing to the UK’s 1800 per cent spike in sign-ups when similar restrictions were introduced.
As Nord put it, whenever governments tighten online rules, “privacy tools are the first things people turn to.”
Retail
Australia Post suspends US deliveries amid tariff changes
Australia Post has paused parcel deliveries to the US after new customs rules scrapped tax-free entry for goods under $US800 from 29 August.
As Emma McGrath-Cohen and Andrew Tillett write in the Australian Financial Review, the service says it needs time to adjust systems, but small retailers say they were blindsided and left without alternatives.
Many had expected Australia Post to have a fix ready by the deadline.
Television
Children’s content summit debates future of local kids TV
The Australian Children’s Content Summit opened yesterday with a fiery debate on how to revive a sector still reeling from the removal of children’s quotas in 2020.
As David Knox writes in TV Tonight, commissions have dropped sharply since the change, leaving producers searching for a way forward.
Screen Producers Australia boss Matthew Deaner moderated a panel featuring independents and groups like the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.
Radio
Kyle Sandilands slams AFL and Fevola over Snoop Dogg row
The Herald Sun’s Jackie Epstein writes that Kyle Sandilands has waded into the AFL’s latest controversy, blasting Brendan Fevola and taking aim at the league for its handling of the Snoop Dogg grand final debate.
On air, Sandilands dismissed claims the rapper should be cancelled over homophobic remarks, saying the AFL knew what they were getting when they booked him.
He argued it was hypocritical to act shocked now, pointing out Snoop Dogg’s career has long included lyrics about drugs, sex and violence.