Could copyright now be used to gag advocacy groups and media reporting?

Any crime committed behind closed doors cannot be investigated unless it is observed and reported.

Some of the most prominent legal cases and Royal Commission investigations have stemmed from covert filming, including aged care abuses.

In 2024, an animal advocacy group covertly filmed in an abattoir.

Now, the Federal Court has handed down an appeal judgment over who owns the copyright when footage is obtained covertly through trespass.