Michael Kirby and the Kirby Cup

The Kirby Cup Law Reform Competition is a unique opportunity for Australian law students to consider the role of law reform and law reform agencies in Australia. To enter, law students must provide a written paper (2,000–4,000 words) on a given topic of law reform. The Kirby Cup is one way that the ALRC provides insight to law students across Australia into the processes of law reform and our inquiries.

The competition is open to all students currently enrolled in a tertiary law course (including law courses offered by universities and legal practitioner admission boards). Students may participate in the competition as individuals or as a team of up to four students.

The topic for 2012 was chosen to feed into the ALRC Copyright Inquiry:

Suggest one or more new statutory exceptions for the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), consistent with Australia’s international legal obligations, and explain why it/they should be introduced. Alternatively, explain why further exceptions should not be introduced.

This year the Kirby Cup was won by Michael Dorman, Fourth Year Bachelor of Arts/Law at Monash University. His essay ‘Saving the Right to Parallel Import in a Digital World’ was published on the ALRC website. Runner up was Peter Key-Matuszak from the University of NSW.

The winner and runner up were acknowledged at a small event at the ALRC on 22 November 2012 with a presentation by Michael Kirby.