A popular Australian TV show, based on a series of 34 gangland murders between 1995 and 2006, has been banned for TV and internet broadcast in the State of Victoria, becoming a "killer app" for illegal downloads via peer to peer file sharing sites.

Australia is completely fascinated by the horrific "Melbourne Gangland Wars", which have led to the deaths of 34 people since 1995.

The Australian public's endless fascination with these crimes has ben fed by books, investigative pieces, documentaries and websites.

Now, the Nine Network has produced a 13 part TV series called Underbelly, a semi-fictional drama based on events from the Melbourne "Gangland Wars". This series portrays characters, both alive and dead, real and fictional, who might have been involved in the tragic events between 1995-2006.

As a result of the graphic and realistic nature of the programme, a recent court ruling by Justice Betty King of the Victorian Supreme Court asserted that the series could not be shown in the State of Victoria, as it may prejudice the outcome of an upcoming murder case.

The news piece which outlined the banning of Underbelly in Victoria

The announcement which replaced the premiere screening of Underbelly in Victoria

The highly public nature of the crimes and the massive promotional efforts by the Nine Network has bred an intense curiosity in Underbelly that the court order is struggling to contain. Ordinary members of the public are turning to online conversations channels to ask their fellow Victorians how they miught find copies of the series. Forums of every kind and topic are being deluged with questions focussing on how to view Underbelly: mums, dads and the least net savvy members of community, are becoming experts in peer-to-peer file sharing, Torrents and other download methods as they seek copies of the series.

While the court ruling (and subsequent appeals) have ruled it is not to be made available on the internet, it has found its way online, often within minutes of an episode being broadcast. It is a prime example of how digital copyright and geography based jurisdiction struggle when confronted with modern peer to peer and conversation based media. Another case of top down imposition of a message in the form of a law, that has been ignored and usurped via peer-to-peer communications.

Download the show and you'll cop it

At any one time, up to 10,000 people are seeding episodes of Underbelly via torrent software, while countless others are downloading the episodes. Anecdotal evidence suggests that not only are people downloading these episodes, but are burning them to disc for friends, colleagues and associates.

An absurd outcome of the Melbourne Gangland Wars is that they may have encouraged in the Victorian public an encouragement of forums and other social media, along with a potential for widespread contempt of court and copyright crime via online conversations, word of mouth and peer-to-peer downloading.

The widespread feeling amongst these people is best described by this forum signature line: "I don't believe in piracy, but I certainly don't want to do jury duty".

And by the way, not that I've seen it, but my colleagues at Edelman Sydney assure me Underbelly is one of the best pieces of drama ever seen on Australian TV. ;)

Con Frantzeskos
Edelman Australia
con dot... frantzeskos at... edelman dot... com