Copy music and movies legally

Consumers could soon have the legal right to copy music or movies to other devices providing it is for personal use, under the latest Government proposals.

A consultation launched yesterday by Lord Triesman, Minister for Intellectual Property, aims to ensure the UK's copyright laws "are fit for the digital age".

The recommendations mirror those first put forward in the 2006 Gowers Review of Intellectual Property which looked at the fact that millions of people copy music to other devices.

A Yougov poll carried out in 2006 by the National Consumer Council (NCC) found that over half of the UK population did this.

However, most respondents were completely unaware that this is illegal under the current Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988. The NCC said this highlights the absurdity of current copyright law.

In 2006, Andrew Gowers, a former editor of the Financial Times, called for a raft of changes including letting people make copies of media they own for personal use.

The review pointed out that as people were rarely prosecuted for personal copying this added to the "general sense of illegitimacy around copyright law".

Lord Triesman, it seems, agrees and said: "Copyright law affects our every day lives whether through the music we listen to, the films we watch and the books we read. It underpins the success of a variety of culturally important and economically successful sectors of UK industry such as music, film, computer games and sport.

"In an increasingly digital world, we need to be sure that our copyright system keeps up with the times and works effectively."

The changes would also bring the UK in line with most of the rest of Europe. The UK is one of the few remaining European countries that still prohibit private copying for personal use. An exception in German and French copyright legislation lets someone make a copy of music they already own to transfer to another device.

Other proposals include forcing internet service providers to cut off illegal filesharers who use their services. Lord Triesman said the Government was "not prepared to see the kinds of damage that will be done to the creative economy".

The consultation on proposed changes to copyright laws will run until 8 April, 2008.