Ask the editor is the spot where we try to answer readers’ questions.
Q: Is it actually illegal for me to copy a CD or DVD for my own personal use?
John Butcher
A: Technically speaking, it is still illegal to copy material from a CD or DVD without the author’s permission. In practice of course, just about everyone does it, whether they plan to play something back via their computer or MP3 player, or stream it around their house via a home network.
A piece of government research however has recently suggested that it should be made officially legal. The 123-page Hargreaves report recommends changing the law to make it legal to copy CDs and DVDs to other digital devices such as MP3 players and computers.
In it, Professor Ian Hargreaves says: “Could it be true that laws designed more than three centuries ago, with the express purpose of creating economic incentives for innovation by protecting creators’ rights, are today obstructing innovation and economic growth? The short answer is: yes.”
Hargreaves’ recommendations include the formation of a Digital Copyright Exchange by the end of 2012 to act as a ‘one-stop shop to make it easier to get clearance for the use of copyrighted content and ultimately make it easier for the government to concentrate on bigger problems such as piracy.
The report has no basis in law, but is likely to have an influence on future legislation. Business secretary Vince Cable appeared to give a warm reception to the report and criticised existing copyright laws, which he said allowed many copyright works to be ‘locked away entirely as the copyright owner is not known’, and led to the high-profile failure of cases against infringers.