Dave Horvath
8 Jan 2008 15:46
Though the record labels would have a heart attack if anyone sanctioned the ripping of music files from a compact disc to your hard drive, it appears the the Intellectual Property Minister, Lord Triesman in the UK feels that the laws against ripping the contents of your legally purchased CD should be changed. He bases his thoughts on the need for the industry to keep up with the times.
Lord Triesman submitted a formal proposal for dissolution of the laws which were welcomed with caution by music industry bodies. The proposal is open for review until April 8th of this year. These changes would apply only to those copying CDs for personal use and not with any form or intent to distribute. Additionally, the proposal has stated that the owner of the CD is not to be permitted to sell or give away the original once the copy has been made. The proposal warns, "To allow consumers to copy works and then pass on the original could result in a loss of sales."
BPI, one of the recording companies, stated that it supports the proposal and what it stands for, but urges caution in the interest of allowing too many freedoms that could further hurt sales. Another group, The Association of Independent Music thinks the proposal is not robust enough and is paving the way for CDs to become obsolete within the next decade. They stated that once the CD has been made obsolete, you will then open the floodgates of rampant piracy and file sharing.
Lord Triesman said the proposed changes would explore "where the boundaries lie between strong protection for right holders and appropriate levels of access for users".
Source:
BBC