Do you respect copyright laws?

[Dr Lobster*]

in recent months you must have noticed that the film, music and software industry have been increasing pressure on governments around the world to enforce copyright law more effectivly.

new laws have come into force give authorities more power and reduce the so-called fair-use of their products.

one could argue, that since these companies invest hugh sums of money in research, development and everything else that eventually gets the product onto the shelves or at the box office they are able to dictate what consitutes fair use and any other terms as they wish.

but in the end, i personally, don't care.

if i can get something for free, why not?

it's difficult to take seriously a company such as microsoft preeching on about how much piracy damages their business, when they still continue to rake in huge profits year on year.

the music industry is the same, in fact, the more copy-protection mechanisms they put into place to try and stop me stealing their music, the more i want to steal it.

[mikejprz]

Apparently keeping a tv program for more than 3 months is breach of coopyright - I think 80% od the Nation is therefore criminals

My mum still has tapes from when she videoed Howards Way in the late 80s!

I used to make mix tapes when I was younger - found one the other day!

Guilty, M'Lud!

Mike xx

[cwathen]

Apparently keeping a tv program for more than 3 months is breach of coopyright - I think 80% od the Nation is therefore criminals

My mum still has tapes from when she videoed Howards Way in the late 80s!

I used to make mix tapes when I was younger - found one the other day

Yep, you are technically only allowed to make domestic video/audio recordings of broadcast material for the purposes of timeshifting programmes. Actually archiving that material is illegal.

[Neil Jones]

Apparently keeping a tv program for more than 3 months is breach of coopyright - I think 80% od the Nation is therefore criminals

I beg to differ, please read section 70 of the 1988 Copyright, Design and Patents Act.

For your convenience, click here.

Therefore one can argue that taping off the telly, all you are doing is "enabling it to be viewed or listened to at a more convenient time". In this case, a few years down the line

[James Martin]

I was gonna say, the entire Learning Zone on BBC TWO works with this concept in mind - transmit the shows overnight, record them overnight and watch them on video when it suits you.

Very useful too - the GCSE BiteSize ones are brilliant.

[cdd]

I'm ambivelant on this one... I think it depends on who the copyright holder is - and to clarify, how large the copyright holder is.

[DAS]

I'm a bit hypocritical when it comes to the whole issue of copyright.

For someone who has 9 folders of thousands of mp3s in addition to a variety of pirated material burned to disk, it would be slightly stupid of me to say it's immoral and wrong. But it is, and I know that!

Were it not for today's wonderfully illegal modern technology, I wouldn't have my knowledge and enjoyment of loads and loads of music. Yet I fully recognise all the arguments against piracy and copyright infringement. My last line of defence that I try to hide behind is the fact that my mp3s are solely for personal use - and I wouldn't have purchased that music legally anyway if I hadn't already downloaded them. Whether that's true or not...

My uncle's a police sergeant and he's got an amazing CD collection. But now that I've introduced him to the world of file sharing, he's stopped buying and started downloading! I feel kind of guilty - but then again he is the voice of the law!

[Aston]

My uncle's a police sergeant

Funny, my uncle's also a Police Sergeant

Does everyone have an uncle that's a police man?

[Square Eyes]

Does everyone have an uncle that's a police man?

No.

[DAS]

My uncle's a police sergeant

Funny, my uncle's also a Police Sergeant

Does everyone have an uncle that's a police man?

Oh my God! Is that YOU Aston!

[Big Brother]

I never used to be bothered, I don't really care now. However where music is concerned I do now care. To find one MP3 is such a hassle nowadays and so I just opt for the legal way of actually buying the CD or downloading the track from one of these new sites.