Uk Has The Worst Copyright Laws

[deejaymitch 0]

 

UK copyright laws "needlessly criminalise" music fans and need to be updated, a consumer watchdog says.

 

UK laws that make it a copyright violation to copy a CD that you own onto a computer or iPod should be changed, says Consumer Focus.

 

 

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8000876.stm

 

Could this be the first nail in the coffin of the ProDub License?

[Dukesy 0]

No.

It's the Pro Sandwich License that should be more of a concern! Dodgy sandwiches can kill - and that's serious! LOL!

 

 

Anyway - members on DJU have more or less said the same on the portal page:

 

Do the Licensing Authorities need to change or update current UK Copyright laws to reflect new technology and the ever evolving needs of consumers and DJ's alike?

 

Yes, the current laws are far to antiquated and need to be updated to reflect changing trends in media delivery, lifestyles and technology - nearly 90%

 

No, lets keep things exactly as they are - 10%.

 

 

[dh140770 0]

While there is a way of getting something for free whether it is P2P downloading, copying a CD / Hard Disk, etc, people will, in general, take this route. That's the reality. I get approached all the time with tunes on memory sticks, phones, ipods etc.

 

The model is all wrong, for sure, but I don't have a solution.

Subscriptions ... no, people won't pay a subscription.

Stop copying ... doesn't work

Prosecution ... nope. They have made examples of a few people, but when i can walk round a car boot sale and see copied CDs / DVDs on stores dedicated to the selling them, it's not really working is it ?

 

I will happily sign up to a fair solution to the problem.

[deejaymitch 0]

I will happily sign up to a fair solution to the problem.

 

As will I, but it's hard to see how anyone can find one.

 

One thing is certain, penalising people who purchase their music legally (but shift it ot another format) will have no effect on the people who steal their music.

[Dukesy 0]

Not an ideal solution, but 'one' that would have at least got something back from those who copy media to CDRs / DVDRs is for a simple copyright levy to have been imposed on blank recording media - period.

 

Had the music collection agencies pushed for this way back when, sure, it wouldn't have stopped or even prevented consumer copying, but the money generated from the imposed levy on sales of blank media would have generated far, far more £££'s than a few hundred or even 10k DJs buying an unenforceable licence.

 

It wouldn't have gone down well at first with consumers, who no-doubt see copying as a privilege if they own original purchased media. However, over time, it would have become the accepted norm.

 

Even though this 'suggestion' has been put direct to the agencies from various lobby organisations, work groups or professionals over the years, the response has ranged from the "Yeah, ok, we'll take notes, cheers again." to the 'ignored' response. LOL!

 

So next time you need to buy a blank pack of media CDR's or DVDRs, ask yourself, would you begrudge paying £1.99 extra which would go to good causes, i.e. the UK film and music industries? How about an extra £1.00 for a USB stick? Would you cry to sleep that you had to pay an extra £15.00 for a hard drive?

Or £5.00 - £10.00 on the DVD home recorder???

 

Organised piracy is of course a crime and shouldn't be taken lightly or condoned. Keeping up with technology for ease of use shouldn't be considered a crime either, but nor should a levy for the privilege!

 

The compromise suggestion (above) is not ideal, but when you read statements from the likes of Feargal Sharkey and the findings of independent reports, you have to laugh!

 

 

 

Feargal Sharkey, the chief executive of British Music Rights said recently that illegal music downloads in the UK cost the industry £1 billion each year.

In his role, he works closely with key government figures including Gordon Brown and Andy Burnham. He is also in close contact with the Conservative chairman of the culture, media and sport select committee, and he ‘hopes’ to eradicate online piracy’

 

>

 

Teenagers and students have an average of more than 800 illegally copied songs each on their digital music players, the largest academic survey of young people's music ownership has found.

The research also showed that half of 14 to 24-year-olds were happy to share all the music on their hard drive, enabling others to copy hundreds, or thousands, of songs at any one time.

Although illegal copying has become widespread, the scale of the problem uncovered by the University of Hertfordshire left the music industry surprised. On average every iPod or digital music player contained 842 illegally copied songs.

 

The average digital music player carries 1,770 songs, meaning that 48% of the collection is copied illegally. The proportion of illegally downloaded tracks rises to 61% among 14 to 17-year-olds. In addition, 14% of CDs (one in seven) in a young person's collection are copied.

Illegal copying in some form is undertaken by 96% of 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed, falling to 89%  of those aged 14-17.

Nearly two thirds copy CDs from friends, and similar proportions share songs by e-mail and copy all the music held on another person's hard drive, acquiring up to 10,000 songs in one go.

 

[dh140770 0]

"Illegal copying in some form is undertaken by 96% of 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed, falling to 89% of those aged 14-17"

 

It's the accepted norm. In 10 years time it will be pretty much everyone up to the age of 35 copying music, plus copies for their parents, their children, etc. The cycle goes on.

 

Given how long the music industry take to do anything they better act fast.

[McCardle 1]

UK copyright laws "needlessly criminalise" music fans and need to be updated, a consumer watchdog says.

 

and the public needed a 'watchdog' to work that one out :scared:

 

suddenly the reason why the country is in the state that its in is immediately crystal clear

 

I will happily sign up to a fair solution to the problem

 

Probably a good idea would be first of all to make music something that people were proud to own and listen to rather than just something which is on in the background when they do the hoovering , if artists were seen to put the effort into writing and coming up with / writing their own material rather than turning to the new trend of making quick cash from Xerox music (endlessly copying the works of others) then maybe people would reward the effort with a purchase.

 

I see Chris DeBurgh has released a new album, take a look at the tracklisting and compare how many are his own work and how many are just his version of songs others have written.

Edited April 16, 2009 by McCardle

[D.X 0]

Feargal Sharkey, the chief executive of British Music Rights said recently that illegal music downloads in the UK cost the industry £1 billion each year.

 

And yet popstars still live in huge mansions and drive Ferraris. This tells me that music is too expensive in the first place.

 

Not that I condone music theft, I pay for all my music from Napster and more recently places like Play and Amazon but I have no sympathy for the music industry, they bled the public for years.

[UKHero 0]

And yet popstars still live in huge mansions and drive Ferraris. This tells me that music is too expensive in the first place.

 

Not that I condone music theft, I pay for all my music from Napster and more recently places like Play and Amazon but I have no sympathy for the music industry, they bled the public for years.

 

While I agree with you sentiments dont forget for every Robbie Williams or Frank Sinatra there are thousands of people getting peanuts for their efforts. Its not the act who fleece the public so much as the executives and the accountants. Creative people are always the easiest to fleece and this has gone on in the music biz since some one banged the first drum....

 

Nik

[cctvguy 0]

Funny isn't it? In any other industry if someone came up to you and said "hey I want to help promote your business", You would be delighted and if they then said they would do it for free, you'd be over the moon.

 

Infact the last thing you would do is charge them for it. You would probably organise things so that those great people got all your latest products and promotional material. You'd probably want to check that they are honest and and give them samples that could only be played through specific players. But hey, that would be only fair enough. You's probably giggle at the thought that these people actually get people to pay to sell your products to them.

 

Wow....just had a thought.....wonder how much Pepsi charged Mr Jackson for his using thier logo at his concerts?

 

 

...or was it the other way around.

 

 

Mmmmmm

[spinner 0]

Wow....just had a thought.....wonder how much Pepsi charged Mr Jackson for his using thier logo at his concerts?

...or was it the other way around.

Mmmmmm

 

 

I believe Pepsi sponsored Michael Jackson's concerts.

[superstardeejay 0]

The Performing Rights Society rang me at work yesterday asking (in a meek voice) if our employees enjoyed listening to the radio in the workshop. Already guessing what she wanted (ie to issue us with a demand for a PRS music license) I told her (truthfully) that we didnt listen to music at work...and eventually she went.

 

Another little twist of the thumbscrews from this rotten administration.

 

(PS I mean the government, not PRS!!)

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2009 by superstardeejay