CD copying OK, DRM circumvention not OK

By Andrew Orlowski • Get more from this author

Posted in Music and Media, 8th January 2008 14:56 GMT

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The government also wants input on whether this "format shifting" right should simply apply to music and film, or other material such as books (moving them to an e-book reader or phone). Under EU legislation, the government isn't allowed any leeway on copyright regarding computer games and software - although the copyright holder may specify usage conditions, of course.

But there's a limit to private copying: DRM circumvention will be permitted for academic and research purposes, but not for the general public for entertainment.

The proposals met with a range of responses.

The National Consumer Council reckons "the devil is in the detail": if your computer crashes, it's expensive and difficult to prove you have legitimately acquired the media once already.

A member of the International Music Managers Forum pointed out that DRM on music is all but dead, the public hates it - but the UK is shirking its obligation to compensate rights holders through other means. Only three EU countries fail to have a copying levy, he said, and the UK is one of them.

The government, the National Consumer Council and "Freetard" representatives (e.g. the ORG) oppose levies.

Various corners of the music business, who spend much time litigating against each other, were all wary that the personal copying exemption was a Trojan Horse.

CEO of the BPI, Geoff Taylor, supported home copying but was mindful of "the law of unintended consequences", as he described it.

He wasn't impressed that a new copying exception was being introduced without compensation.

Nor did Taylor think the parody proposal was anything other than PR. "Do we have a shortage of satire in the UK?" he mused.

For his part, Lord Triesman unleashed his flamethrower on P2P file sharers (see separate story) and said the government would legislate by next year if a voluntary agreement wasn't sorted out. We'll also publish the transcript of an interview with the US for IP & Q shortly. ®