Posted on 04/16/2009 12:06:02 PM PDT by a fool in paradise
UK copyright laws "needlessly criminalise" music fans and need to be updated, a consumer watchdog says.
UK laws that make it a copyright violation to copy a CD that you own onto a computer or iPod should be changed, says Consumer Focus.
The call came after global umbrella group Consumers International put the UK in last place in a survey of 16 countries' copyright laws....
"UK copyright law is the oldest, but also the most out of date," said Ed Mayo, chief executive of Consumer Focus.
"The current system puts unrealistic limits on our listening and viewing habits and is rapidly losing credibility among consumers. A broad 'fair use' exception would bring us in line with consumer expectations, technology and the rest of the world."
The survey by Consumers International looked at intellectual property laws and enforcement practices in 16 countries - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, the UK and the US...
"It is currently a copyright violation [in the UK] to rip a CD that you own on to your PC or iPod," said Consumer Focus, "even though over half (55%) of British consumers admit to doing it and three in five (59%) think this type of copying is perfectly legal."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
President Barack Obama engaged in a criminal transaction when he put songs under copyright on an ipod and gifted it to the Queen of England. What a doofus.
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