Making Private Copies Of Music Is Illegal In The U.K Once Again

It is once again illegal to make personal copies of the music in the U.K. following the withdrawal of the 2014 ‘private copying exception’.

According to The 1709 Blog, the exception has now been officially scrapped, meaning that creating personal backups of music, videos, e-books and ripping CDs and DVDs is technically now an offence.

The exception was introduced in October 2014 and has been under judicial review brought about by a music industry collective including the British Academy of Songwriters and the Musicians’ Union.

In June, the exception was ruled to be ‘flawed’. Rather than researching alternative options, the decision was made to get rid of it completely.

Critics argue that the move has no financial advantages for the music industry.

As The 1709 blog explains: “Those users who are aware of the changes face a difficult decision: whether to make copies for personal use in contravention of the law in the reasonably sure knowledge that they won’t get caught, or abide by the law and deny themselves a degree of sensible flexibility in their viewing and listening choices.

“One thing they will not do is go out and buy a digital replacement such as a download, for a CD or DVD they already own”.

Despite the ruling, it’s unlikely that the the authorities will pursue convictions against people making copies for private use.

The long-winded scrapping of the exception suggests copyright law has not been suitably updated for the digital age and is in dire need of reform.

Image credit: ThinkStock/Fuse

Via: Arts Technica