Ripping Movies For Personal Use Is Illegal Again In The UK

It is once again illegal to copy movies and music for personal use in the UK.

A new law introduced in October 2014 meant that it was briefly legal for users to transfer films they had bought into their home library and onto their mobile devices.

That law has now been overturned in the high court following a legal challenge from the British Academy Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA).

The new ruling means that it is illegal to make copies of a film that has been paid for, even if they’re for personal use.

The same law applies to ripping CDs in order to copy the music to a user’s digital music library.

While the law apply to both films and music, the change is largely a result of lobbying from the music industry, in a bid to protect royalty payments for recording artists.

The CEO of lobbying group UK Music, Jo Dipple, praised the ruling commenting:

“Last month, the High Court agreed with us that Government acted unlawfully when it introduced an exception to copyright for private copying without fair compensation. We therefore welcome the Courts decision today to quash the existing regulations.

“It is vitally important that fairness for songwriters, composers and performers is written into the law. My members’ music defines this country. It is only right that Government gives us the standard of legislation our music deserves. We want to work with Government so this can be achieved.”

Despite the new legal implications, it’s unlikely that any cases involving making copies of movies or music for personal use will be pursued.

Prosecuting all the people who make copies of films they’ve paid for is considered to be completely unworkable, making it far more likely authorities will turn a blind eye as they have in the past.

(Image credit: Steve Richards/REX)