Digital Copyright

The current copyright law in NZ means that copying a song from a legally purchased CD to your iPod is in fact illegal, or more correctly an infringement of copyright.

The situation is the same in the US, and a few months ago it was amusing as recording industry executives fronted up to a Senate committee. The committee was initially sympathetic until a Senator asked whether the law stops him copying songs he has purchased on CDs onto his iPod, and it was revealed that yes it does.

Today Boing Boing notes that even the US President has fallen afoul of the digital copyright laws by having a Beatles song on his iPod.

The good news back home is that the copyright laws are being reviewed for the digital age, and at this stage the Government is recommending that “format shifting” be legalised. The bad news is that the review has been stalled for a couple of years.

Once the telco regulatory framework is out of the way, I’m hoping to try and get digital copyright law changes moving with some momentum.