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August 4, 2011

CD and DVD ripping will be legal in the UK for people who do it for their own personal use, in a move that's part of sweeping reforms of copyright law that could benefit the economy by about £8billion.

Under current legislation, it is technically illegal to transfer content from CDs or DVDs on to a different format, such as an MP3 file on a computer.

Other measures to be brought in by the government include the introduction of a digital copyright exchange, where licences in copyright content can be traded, and allowing artists to parody works without seeking the permission of the original copyright holder.

Vince Cable, the business secretary, commented that the changes will bring copyright law into line with the 'real world' - and with consumers' 'reasonable expectations'.

People still won't be able to share content over the internet without the permission of copyright owners - such as on file-sharing sites - under the new laws, however.

It's all come about as a result of a review carried out by Professor Ian Hargreaves, professor of digital economy at Cardiff School of Journalism, at the request of the prime minister.

'The government is focused on boosting growth and the Hargreaves review highlighted the potential to grow the UK economy,' said the business secretary.

'By creating a more open intellectual property system it will allow innovative businesses to develop new products and services which will be able to compete fairly in the UK's thriving markets for consumer equipment.

'We are accepting the recommendations and will now set about reforming the UK's intellectual property systems. Opening up intellectual property laws can deliver real value to the UK economy as well as the creators and consumers.'

The reforms will also make it legal for performers to parody other artists' work without needing permission from the copyright holder.

http://www.metro.co.uk/te...z1U5M8PILu

This is new?

Ten years too late. Makes no difference any more.

These days, it's literally quicker to download an album/movie I already own, rather than ripping the CD or DVD.