As I've mentioned on a couple of other threads, the position in the UK is exactly that - it is technically illegal even to rip your own CDs to make a portable copy or backup. We have no concept of "fair use" at law.
The BPI said in 2006 that they would not pursue consumers "-if they copy their CDs for their own private use in order to move the music from format to format-", however there's some concern about what this actually means. For example, if I upload my music to mp3tunes and use it for playback at work rather than as a backup copy - does this fall within "moving the music from format to format"? The 2003 EU Copyright Directive was intended to retain an ability for consumers to make copies for purely private purposes (in the sense that the use must be domestic). However, this has been brought into law in a number of different ways in different EU countries (almost all of them are more restrictive on consumers than before the Directive was put into law). The exceptions to this are the UK and Ireland which allow "time shifted" recordings only (so I can copy or record something and listen for a limited time such as seven days, but no longer). All my music is bought and paid for, or ripped from CDs that I retain the physical media for. However, I resent having to rely on the whims of the BPI as to whether they will or will not maintain the personal use exception now or in future. One small glimmer of hope in Europe is a recent study published on the Copyright Directive (by the European Commission) which points some of these issues out and concludes that the Directive has given rights-holders "-near-absolute control over acts [digital/electronic reproduction] which in the off-line world were never the right holderÂ’s prerogative-" and which rights go significantly further than the Directive was intended to allow. So there is a prospect of some amending legislation in Europe in...oh...about 2-6 years...by which time the technology will have moved on sufficiently to make whatever is put through completely obselete. -- Siduhe ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Siduhe's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=723 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=41571
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