Oh goody… Phil Ruddock “might” be giving us all a chrissy present.
See MILLIONS of Australians who tape TV shows and copy CDs will soon get the right to do it with a clear conscience.
A quick overview…
“The Federal Government will next year legalise the video recording of television shows for personal use, and the transfer of songs from CDs to MP3 players, in a bid to overturn a ban which has made criminals of much of the population. Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has flagged tidying up copyright laws by adding fair-use loopholes that will clear the way for private citizens to copy the content without breaking the law.
But yet to be decided is whether a levy will be slapped on the store price of blank CDs and MP3 players, such as iPods, to compensate artists for the revenue they stand to lose under the new laws.
Though the practice is widespread, it remains illegal to convert a CD to MP3 format for playing on an iPod. There are more than 100,000 Australian iPod owners, all of whom have broken the law by uploading music. It is also against the law to tape a television program.”
So there you have it folks, do we trust Phil or do we just sit back and see what the “present” will cost us.
Wait and see time.