music_news 91 posts

Talking of what is legal what is not. Russia has been criticized for some time for its copyright legislation in connection with allofmp3.com.  However, Russian legislation could be the most modern one. The Civil Code in its part concerning copyright is being passed through the parliament this fall. Still, legislation is changing slower than technology and public opinion, especially with the amount of lobbying in some countries.
The article in Telegraph.co.uk this weekend brings up an interesting fact – in UK everyone who dares to copy a CD that he or she owns to an MP3-player or PC is breaking the law. This conclusion comes from a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research. The report says that “Unknown to many, the 1709 Statue of Anne which came into law as the first Copyright Act in 1710 still governs the enforcement of copyright in the UK. It thus prevents copying an artistic work into a different format, such as a record on to a tape, or a CD on to a computer file.”  Same report recommends to change the law to include a "private right to copy".
The document also recommens that "the Government should reject calls from the British music industry to extend copyright terms for sound recordings beyond the current 50 years. The report argues that there is no evidence to suggest that current protections provided in law are insufficient.
Any change in the law is likely to be resisted by the music industry which will argue that by allowing the creation of some 'personal use' copying of copyright material, it would legitimise the use of copying as a whole and open the floodgates to a new wave of piracy. However, the report points out that 'it is not the music industry's job to decide what rights consumers have. That is the job of Government" (PC Pro)

Read more here:
Copying own CDs 'should be legal', BBC
Review urged of ancient law on copyright for MP3 generation, Guardian Unlimited
UK Urged to Update Copyright Laws, DailyTech
'Government should legalise private CD copying' - report, PC Pro
Why you are breaking the law every time you copy a CD to your iPod, Telegraph.co.uk