Sony Music Entertainment (Australia) Limited v University of Tasmania [2003] FCA 532

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Sony Music Entertainment (Australia) Limited v University of Tasmania [2003] FCA 532 PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – applicants seek discovery and inspection of records stored on CD ROMs and backup tapes – sound recordings – MP3 files – applicants identified presence of MP3 files on websites hosted on university computers – respondents agreed to preserve data from university computers – applicants have cause to believe that they have the right to obtain relief for copyright infringement – applicants seek further information to ascertain description of person concerned – whether Court has power to order discovery of CD ROMs and backup tapes – document – whether CD ROMs and backup tapes are documents – judicial discretion – competing search methods – third parties – full and proper disclosure – irrelevant information – whether CD ROMs and backup tapes should be discovered by respondents WORDS AND PHRASES – "document", "electronic", "preliminary discovery", "MP3", "database" Federal Court Rules O 15A rr 3, 6 Derby & Co Ltd v Weldon (No 9) [1991] 2 All ER 901 referred to Victor Chandler International v Customs and Excise Commissioners [2000] 2 All ER 315 cited London Economics (Aust) Pty Ltd v Frontier Economics Pty Ltd [1999] FCA 932 cited Wimmera Industrial Minerals Pty Ltd v RGC Mineral Sands Ltd [1998] FCA 299 cited Paxus Services Ltd v People Bank Pty Ltd (1990) 20 IPR 79 discussed Aitken v Neville Jeffress Pidler Pty Ltd (1991) 22 IPR 605 referred to C7 Pty Ltd v Foxtel Management Pty Ltd [2001] FCA 1864 cited Global Intertrade Pty Ltd v Adelaide Festival Centre Trust [1998] FCA 1649 cited CCA Beverages (Adelaide) Ltd v Hansford S J & Anor [1991] FCA 925 referred to Home Office v Harman [1983] 1 AC 280 cited Esso Australia Resources Ltd v Plowman (1995) 183 CLR 10 cited Patrick v Capital Finance Pty Ltd (No 4) [2003] FCA 436 cited Gray v Associated Book Publishers (Aust) Pty Ltd [2002] FCA 1040 cited