ripping yr own CD to yr own mp3 player is currently illegal in the UK, and always has been. a recent review of copyright law in the UK concluded - in the face of fierce opposition from artists and copyright holders - that this should be changed.
it comes down to a question of 'what occurs when you buy a piece of media (song/ game/ dvd/ etc)?' obviously yr not buying the thing itself - yr not buying the song, for example - cos part of the purchase costs are royalties to the various copyright holders: yr buying a licence to consume that media. but is it a licence to consume in the form you've purchased it (which copyright holder want, so that they can sell you CD and mp3 and ringtone versions of the same song) or is it a general licence to consume it, however you choose (which the High Court of Australia has held: you can legally chip game consles in Australia, cos the High Court ruled that having bought a game you bought the right to play it on the device of yr choice).
clearly, the Canadian gov't has been listening to the copyright holders too much - hardly surprising, given how rightwing Harper's govt is. the real question is what impact this will have on individual consumers: after all, the fact that it's a breach of copyright law to transfer yr CD collection to mp3 hasn't hurt iPod sales or the mp3 market in the slightest, nor has it stopped the growing market in USB turntables (for ripping yr vinyl to mp3).
Topic: Copyright law changes could leave consumers vulnerable (Read 2379 times)