Downloading MP3's Illegal in UK

BKtje

New EU directive or something came through in the UK making the downloading of mp3's illegal.

New Law

scion

Dude its illegal to store mp3's in your kazaa "My Shared Folder" but it's not illegal to own them. Sharing is what the artical is about...

BKtje

where did i ever say that owning mp3's was illegal? Where did i ever state that sharing wasn't illegal? This is the first i've heard of people now being able to be sent to prison for sharing music in the EU (UK).

Other observers noted that the new UK law could be used to imprison file-swappers on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks such as Kazaa for up to two years.

Thats the first i've ever heard of law suits being filed against people this side of the pond for sharing/downloading mp3's.....
did i miss something while i was on holiday? did this already hit the EU or something as last i heard this was a US only thing...

Goodshape

I was thinking about this the otherday...

I've got an MP3 player that I use all the time. It has every album I've bought on it... and a good few I haven’t actually bought.

But I have absolutely no need or want for CD's. I don't agree with piracy - I think if the music/film/whatever is anygood, then it deserves to be paid for, but paying €20 for a CD, a CD case and some lame packaging that's going to be sitting on a shelf until it eventually decomposes is a bit much to ask imo.

I think the future of music buying will be through pay-for-download services.. hopefully as a starting block for bands that will eventually release their music themselves.

The music 'industry' can go suck a lemon.

sceptre

Enforcing the UK's 1988 Copyright Act and interpreting "broadcasting" as including "sharing to a large potential audience over a telecommunications service or device" would have the same effect (large fine rather than jail under the 1988 Act).

Making mp3s of copyrighted material has been illegal in the UK since before the codec was developed as well.

No real change then unless they actually start enforcing it.

skywalker_208

i agree with Goodshape, cd came out last week i wanted.. 22 quid in the shop... dont think so. I did buy it off the net for just over a tenner but but would normally download it because of the cost..

oscarBravo

Originally posted by Goodshape
I think the future of music buying will be through pay-for-download services.. hopefully as a starting block for bands that will eventually release their music themselves.

That would be nice, except that it's inevitably going to be tied in with DRM and Palladium and all that nonsense.

Frankly, what the music "industry" needs is a revolution, and the record company executives should be the first against the wall.

dangerman

Palladium will be broken, every attempt at stomping out piracy will be out-foxed...

a truly anonymous internet will emerge where copyright is pointless as anyone can access anything anywhere all the time.

technologies like palladium will force the open-source revolution, linux will flourish as the operating system of choice... unless of course, microsoft is in control of the major governments of the world at that stage.

Exciting times.

Or I could just be totally nuts. But in 20 years, remember this post if im right.

oscarBravo

Originally posted by dangerman
Palladium will be broken, every attempt at stomping out piracy will be out-foxed...

Looks like the bad guys have finally learned, and Palladium will use strong encryption.

technologies like palladium will force the open-source revolution, linux will flourish as the operating system of choice...

I sincerely hope so, and I'll do everything I can to make sure it happens.

unless of course, microsoft is in control of the major governments of the world at that stage.

Not even in jest, dangerman, not even in jest... I genuinely believe Microsoft's current agenda is ultimately to make government as a concept irrelevant.

Exciting times.

Or I could just be totally nuts. But in 20 years, remember this post if im right.

Nah, I'm with you.

Mossy Monk

if cds were lower in price more would by the things. they are over priced as it is especially in this country. i saw a cd in a shop for €23.99 :eek: i got the same cd online for about €12. it is madness that shops get away with it :mad:

mada999

yes yes, There would be less "piracy" if cd's were cheaper! €22 for a cd is a joke. I would NEVER pay this amount of cash for a cd!!

STaN

Originally posted by sceptre
Making mp3s of copyrighted material has been illegal in the UK since before the codec was developed as well.

No real change then unless they actually start enforcing it.

Well, if you buy a CD, whether that be software, music or a video, you have the right to create a backup. This can be on a tape or MP3 once its for personal use and not distributed.

Its fine to copy every album you have to your hard drive.

irishguy

its whole thing reminds me of the film industry 20 years ago scared that VHS would cost them loads of money with people not going to the cinema.now they make loads of money from VHS & DVD sales and rentals. all they have to do is setup a site with very high quality mp3s, playlists,covers ect then charge about €0.10-20 per song and watch the money roll in and everyone is happy

sceptre

Originally posted by STaN
Well, if you buy a CD, whether that be software, music or a video, you have the right to create a backup. This can be on a tape or MP3 once its for personal use and not distributed.

Its fine to copy every album you have to your hard drive.

Bet you a tenner you can't find anything in Irish or UK law that says you can do this.

It's something we all ignore (I think it's perfectly fine and defensible myself) but unlike the US (in their 1976 copyright act) there's no fair use provision in Irish or UK law and hence no right to do what you suggest above.

With regard to software, you're correct - but only if the licence says you can. There's still nothing in Irish or UK law to say you can though so it's up to the distributor on whether to include this in the licence and give you this right or not. You also have the right to copy certain parts of books or articles for academic research. This is one of the few exceptions allowed under Irish and UK law.

mr_angry

Who cares. I'm with the Linux camp. F*ck the industry. I'm tired, stroppy, and I just don't care.

Come on then! Arrest me! *offers wrists for chaining*

Meadows

piracy ehh, A friend of mine hit around the 90 gig mark on mp3s there a while ago. no to mention the fact that we have our broadband grinding away around the clock. Im sure when any of these laws are enforced there will be more programs to mask ip addresses because of demmand

mrblack

If they ever start enforcing the music copyright laws the authorities better start obtaining planning permission for all the new courts and prisons sharpish!

Meadows

lol, well spotted. If the cost of software was reasonable then i would by more stuff legally. After all im better off with a proper cd key for games rather than a generated one cos then i can play online.