LXer: Legal change for personal CD ripping

LXer · 08-04-2011, 12:21 AM

Published at LXer:

Rules outlawing the transfer of content from CDs or DVDs on to MP3 files and computers are set to be scrapped by the government. The changes apply to personal use and are compelled by the fact that 90% of the population are ignoring the current copyright rules.

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H_TeXMeX_H · 08-04-2011, 01:14 PM

It is legal to keep a backup copy of stuff you buy. It is illegal to distribute it tho.

XavierP · 08-04-2011, 04:45 PM

This story is to do with the UK and, until they change the law, it is illegal - this has been going on for years. Until the law changes, it is illegal in the UK to tape a show of the TV. It's one of those stupid laws that once had a point but has never ever been enforced.

TobiSGD · 08-04-2011, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H_TeXMeX_H

It is legal to keep a backup copy of stuff you buy.

That depends on your country. In Germany, for example, it is legal to have a backup copy, but it is illegal to circumvent copy-protections. So you are allowed a backup copy only of things that don't use copy-protection. CSS is a copy-protection, for example, so that ripping DVDs is illegal for most DVDs.

H_TeXMeX_H · 08-05-2011, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

That depends on your country. In Germany, for example, it is legal to have a backup copy, but it is illegal to circumvent copy-protections. So you are allowed a backup copy only of things that don't use copy-protection. CSS is a copy-protection, for example, so that ripping DVDs is illegal for most DVDs.

That's true, you would have to just clone the DVD.

XavierP · 08-05-2011, 04:13 AM

The daft thing about the law is that it was probably designed to stop pirates (especially in the days before the internet) and caught up individuals - realistically, if you create a single backup copy, how would anyone at all ever know.

And don't forget Home Taping Is Killing Music. No one ever creates music since I taped all mine at home.