The US Free Trade Agreement has been signed.

The next step is the approval of the Australian Parliament.

The US Free Trade Agreement Implementation Bill was passed by the House of Representatives on 24 June and is awaiting Senate consideration.

Amongst the most controversial provisions are those in Schedule 9 of the Bill relating to copyright.

If passed, the current Australian copyright period of 50 years after the author’s death will be extended to 70 years to match the US laws.