Earth: Mostly Harmless

UK Think Tank Calls For Fair Use Of Your Own CDs

October 29, 2006 on 7:12 pm |
Categories: copyright, music, politics, technology, uk
Tags: copyright, music, politics, technology, uk

Sensible proposals from the Institute for Public Policy Research. Shame they’ll probably not be given a second look in the Government’s copyright review.

UK Think Tank Calls For Fair Use Of Your Own CDs:

jweatherley writes “The BBC reports that a UK think tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, has called for the legalization of format shifting. In a report commissioned by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, they state that copyright laws are out of date, and that people should have a ‘private right to copy’ which would allow them to legally copy their own CDs and DVDs on to home computers, laptops and phones. The report goes on to say that: ‘it is not the music industry’s job to decide what rights consumers have. That is the job of government.’ The report also argues that there is no evidence the current 50-year copyright term is insufficient. The UK music industry is campaigning to extend the copyright term in sound recordings to 95 years.”

(Via Slashdot).