Accordingly, the proposed amendments will also place the onus of establishing the copyright legitimacy of imported software products upon a defendant in civil legal proceedings. The reforms will not affect the requirement for films and video games to be classified by the Office of Film and Literature Classification, regardless of their origin. Censorship is a different issue from parallel imports and as such, any issues that may emerge should be resolved within that context. Opponents of the removal of parallel import restrictions claim that if parallel importation became legal, this would reduce the incentive for exclusive agents and manufacturers to offer technical support for their software. However, the ACCC has noted that most after-sales and technical support services are paid for by the user of the service regardless of the origin of the product.
Retailers can also arrange such services with local companies if required.
This has been an observed outcome in New Zealand. Review of restrictions on parallel importation have been under consideration for many years. All of these reports, with the exception of the CLRC review, concluded that the current restrictions were anti-competitive without delivering sufficient countervailing benefits and that the provisions allowing the restriction of parallel imports should be repealed. Although the CLRC recommended that the restrictions on parallel imports should be retained, the review also recommended that the issue be revisited after 3 years. Australia will not contravene any international treaties or conventions by allowing parallel imports as proposed.