Quote:
Originally Posted by jbjb
My reading (which may obviously also be wrong - IANAL) of the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act is that DRM stripping is *illegal* under UK law.
The sections which make the distinction between commercial and domestic use are those referring to importing, distributing, possessing etc. devices or services designed to remove DRM.
The actual act of stripping DRM, however seems to me to be deemed illegal without restriction to commercial purposes by section 296ZA (Circumvention of Technical Measures).
Relevant legal mumbo-jumbo available here:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/...copyprotection |
Quote:
(1)This section applies where—
(a)a technical device has been applied to a computer program; and
(b)a person (A) knowing or having reason to believe that it will be used to make infringing copies—
(i)manufactures for sale or hire, imports, distributes, sells or lets for hire, offers or exposes for sale or hire, advertises for sale or hire or has in his possession for commercial purposes any means the sole intended purpose of which is to facilitate the unauthorised removal or circumvention of the technical device; or
(ii)publishes information intended to enable or assist persons to remove or circumvent the technical device.
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Possessing and using a DRM-stripping tool for non-commercial use is not caught by that section.
Creating one
for money, yes.
Creating one otherwise, no.
Distributing one
for money, yes.
Distributing one otherwise, no.
Providing information about one, yes.
Possessing one
for commercial purposes, yes.
Possessing one otherwise, no.
Using one, no.
The actual announcement:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/about/press/pr...e-20121220.htm
The most relevant portion:
Quote:
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Private copying - to permit people to copy digital content they have bought onto any medium or device that they own, but strictly for their own personal use such as transferring their music collection or eBooks to their tablet, phone or to a private cloud;
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