Copying own CD’s “Should be Legal”
A think-tank has called for outdated copyright laws to be rewritten to take account of new ways people listen to music, watch films and read books.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is calling for a “private right to copy”. It would decriminalise millions of Britons who break the law each year by copying their CDs onto music players.
Ippr says that the forthcoming review of Intellectual Property, set up by Chancellor Gordon Brown and chaired by Andrew Gowers, should update the 300-year-old copyright laws to take account of the changes in the way people want to listen to music, watch films and read books.
IPPR deputy director Dr Ian Kearns said: “When it comes to protecting the interests of copyright holders, the emphasis the music industry has put on tackling illegal distribution and not prosecuting for personal copying, is right.
“But it is not the music industry’s job to decide what rights consumers have that is the job of government.”
The report also calls for the government to reject calls from the UK music industry to extend the copyright term for sound recording beyond the current 50 years.