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Chances are, you've converted a legally purchased DVD to another format, converted a music CD to MP3, and have time shifted a TV program for later viewing, either on your trusty old VCR or on your brand new DVR/TiVo. However, Canada's Access Copyright group has made it clear that all of this is totally unacceptable, even if everyone's doing.
There have been other groups, like the CRTC, Canada's telecom regulators, that have called for legalizing format, time shifting and private backup copies, by adding these to exceptions to changes to the copyright laws now proposed by the Canadian government. But while Access Copyright agrees that these acts have become "common public practices", they also say that "good public policy should not be dictated by legalizing" these practices.
While Access Copyright's submission mainly deals with print copyright, for which they have self interests at stake, their position can be equally applied to the forum of audio, visual entertainment, meaning that even a recording TV shows to your VCR for later viewing and then immediately removing the copy, is still illegal in the eyes of Access Copyright. And if you want to make a iPod copy of your DVD movie, then you better pay for the right to do so.
Copyright has always been about protecting creativity while balancing the needs of the public to be able to access said works freely (free as in freedom, not as in "no cost"). It has never been about protecting the pockets of studios, publishers and groups like Access Copyright. It seems that with the "digital panic" that the content owners are current experiencing, and with legislators buying the "sky is falling" stories told to them by the copyright lobby, the greater purpose of copyright has been lost. Hopefully not forever.
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There have been other groups, like the CRTC, Canada's telecom regulators, that have called for legalizing format, time shifting and private backup copies, by adding these to exceptions to changes to the copyright laws now proposed by the Canadian government. But while Access Copyright agrees that these acts have become "common public practices", they also say that "good public policy should not be dictated by legalizing" these practices.
While Access Copyright's submission mainly deals with print copyright, for which they have self interests at stake, their position can be equally applied to the forum of audio, visual entertainment, meaning that even a recording TV shows to your VCR for later viewing and then immediately removing the copy, is still illegal in the eyes of Access Copyright. And if you want to make a iPod copy of your DVD movie, then you better pay for the right to do so.
Copyright has always been about protecting creativity while balancing the needs of the public to be able to access said works freely (free as in freedom, not as in "no cost"). It has never been about protecting the pockets of studios, publishers and groups like Access Copyright. It seems that with the "digital panic" that the content owners are current experiencing, and with legislators buying the "sky is falling" stories told to them by the copyright lobby, the greater purpose of copyright has been lost. Hopefully not forever.
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