The UK’s High Court has turned all of its computer users into outlaws overnight, in a new ruling that makes it unlawful to create a copy of copyrighted content, without the direct permission of the copyright holder.
The new law means UK citizens can no longer create backups of their computer (because pretty much every PC has copyrighted content). You’re also not allowed to rip your CDs into iTunes or convert media files into another format, which means Apple’s software services like Time Machine and iTunes are now considered illegal.
To find out exactly what citizens are and are not allowed to do, TorrentFreak got in touch with the UK Intellectual Property Office and got some pretty clear cut answers.
“It is now unlawful to make private copies of copyright works you own, without permission from the copyright holder – this includes format shifting from one medium to another,” a the spokesperson told TF. “It includes creating back-ups without permission from the copyright holder as this necessarily involves an act of copying.”
Because Apple promotes iTune’s ripping feature during installation, the company is actively facilitating copyright infringement and makes the company vulnerable to facing a huge claim for damages from the music industry. Why would the music industry possibly take advantage of the situation and sue Apple? Music groups objected to the High Court last year when the UK government legalized copying for private use, claiming they’d lose income.
Copyright holders previously suggested taxing blank CDs and hard drives in exchange of implementing a private-use exemption. Despite the strict new laws, UK citizens probably shouldn’t worry about getting thrown in the slammer for running Time Machine or ripping your CDs.
“The Government is not aware of any cases of copyright holders having prosecuted individuals for format shifting music solely for their own personal use,” the IPO spokesperson says.
Source: TorrentFreak
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
25 responses to “The UK just made iTunes illegal”
Hey, the UK went back to the 20th century. How odd…
More like 17th.
What do you mean “went back to…”? They never were with the current times
Our government is always far too quick to bend over for the music, tv and film industries.
Make sure you read your headline out loud and illegal. (sic)
You beat me to it
hah. my bad. originally had Time Machine in there too.
This is beyond stupid. If I bought a CD (well, that’s laughable, but that’s not the point) then I should have the right to do whatever I please with it so long as I don’t share/distribute it to the entire web.
Public should stop buying CD’s! They will change the law in no time!
Its not just CD’s, its also downloaded music that you backup or burn to cd. This law is DAF!!
Technically, this would include iPhones, iPads and iPods since you make a copy of a song when you move it over to those devices. Wow.
If iTunes is outlawed, only outlaws will have iTunes.
The stupid of this ruling. It burns.
Still trying to crack down on piracy lol
This sort of thing just makes me wonder what they’re really distracting us from?
So does that mean they can no longer record what we say or our telephone conversations. Doesn’t seem to work that way.
Makes me proud to be British… not
So lemme get this straight. The U.K. Government is now going after people who paid for the content!?
Their statement is so poorly worded that essentially every time you change to a new phone/tablet/pc you would essentially have to buy the content again, or go to the rights holder for each of your 1,000s of songs, movies and TV Shows and ask if it’s okay.
And you just know that there’s gonna be a few ****s who are gonna tell you they won’t allow it and you need to re buy it.
*slow clap*
Not that the UK High Court are a bunch of old men behind the ti…oh wait.
Here in Spain, we pay a tax for every blank CD we buy, which supposedly goes to the music and film industries, to make up for piracy. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of, we’re essentially being treated as thieves a priori. I mean, even if I use that CD to back up pictures of my kids, I’m still being charged money for a crime I never committed. It’s quite idiotic.
There are also horror stories of some authorities taking this law too far and fining people for playing music at their weddings without the explicit consent of the original copyright owners.
So copying your own stuff for a backup is illegal in the UK, but decades of child sexual abuse by the judiciary, Politicians and celebrities is ok? Those who left that place 200 years ago are the lucky ones.
Let’s all sue the Government for spying on us and collecting our data.
THOSE ARE MY COOKIES DAVID CAMERON >:C
It will be ignored like most bad law
Conspiracy theory:
Apple / Google will love this. It renders copyright valueless, while claiming to protect it. Nobody can or will pay attention to this law, it can never be prosecuted.
This means Apple/Google/Amazon/Spotify can profiteer from content (like music), selling at ridiculous prices (like £9.99 a month for all the music you can eat), passing on peanuts to creators. And creators will have to take it because their rights to their own creations are essentially now worthless.
This is law is stupid, you’re right: Specifically it has relied on the ignorance of lawmakers to get through. But if it is an intentional bit of corporate evil, it’s genius.
Nice to know that the USA is not the only nation on the planet that has stupid high courts!