Proposal calls for amendments to copyright laws

There were those who’d download music for free and put it on their MP3 player and then there were those who would go to the shops, put their hand in their pocket, buy the CD and then transfer it to their MP3 player.

It used to be that only the former was frowned upon, however technically, ripping music from CDs to your computer is against copyright laws too.

Proposed changes to the copyright law would mean that ripping music to your computer is perfectly legal if it’s for personal use. So as long as it’s for your ears only, then it’s all good.

Intellectual Property minister (there is such a thing ?) Lord Triesman is behind the proposals to amend the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. Lord Triesman says that while copyright laws on file sharing and downloading should remain the same it is important to amend the law to cater for the times we live in.

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.

The proposal follows the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property, which suggested that some of the parts of the Act should be reformed.