MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Legality or otherwise of removing DRM in the UK

Katsunami · 02-01-2012, 08:38 AM

In the Netherlands, it's quite strange.

The law explicitly states that I may make as many copies for my personal use as I want. We even pay taxes for that, collected by "Stichting Thuiskopie". (It's collected by adding a markup/tax to many media, such as cd's, dvd's, and others.) It also states that converting the format of the data is allowed, as it is seen as a copy; as long as one uses it for personal use only.

The law also states that I may not remove or break any copy protections.

So... ehhh.... To be able to exercise the right I get with one law, I need to break another. As far as I know, none of these laws officially has a higher priority than the other.

Either way, nobody seems to care about the second law. I've never seen it enforced. As long as you don't spread any copyrighted material, nobody will make an issue if you remove the drm. And, if I don't tell anyone, who would know? There are no razzia's or random house searches (yet).

Therefore, I happilyb strip the drm from anything I buy, but I never spread copyrighted stuff.

02-01-2012, 08:38 AM	#7
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	In the Netherlands, it's quite strange. The law explicitly states that I may make as many copies for my personal use as I want. We even pay taxes for that, collected by "Stichting Thuiskopie". (It's collected by adding a markup/tax to many media, such as cd's, dvd's, and others.) It also states that converting the format of the data is allowed, as it is seen as a copy; as long as one uses it for personal use only. The law also states that I may not remove or break any copy protections. So... ehhh.... To be able to exercise the right I get with one law, I need to break another. As far as I know, none of these laws officially has a higher priority than the other. Either way, nobody seems to care about the second law. I've never seen it enforced. As long as you don't spread any copyrighted material, nobody will make an issue if you remove the drm. And, if I don't tell anyone, who would know? There are no razzia's or random house searches (yet). Therefore, I happilyb strip the drm from anything I buy, but I never spread copyrighted stuff. Last edited by Katsunami; 02-01-2012 at 08:44 AM.