Quote:
Originally Posted by ADd
I'll admit I should have placed a 100,000,000,000 seater cinema in my analogy - with free dvd's given out at the end - however by the letter of the law both situations are illegal.  |
Indeed, but the spirit of the law is important in this country also. The Copyright, Designs and Patents act is designed to ensure creative professionals - and nobody else - can earn money from their work. It's a necessary safeguard because by definition they can only earn anything by making the work copyable. The Act allows them to do this, but prevents you from doing it.
However, in recognition of the spirit of the law, nobody has ever been prosecuted - none that I know of, anyway, and certainly not successfully - for copying for personal use, such as making backups or recording Eastenders to watch later. The legal system recognises that while this is a technical breach of the law, the intent was not to do anything that the law sought to prevent.
And this aside, two wrongs do not make a right. Failure to prosecute in one instance does not set a precedent elsewhere. What you are doing is illegal, indefensible, and I guarantee, would land you with a sizeable fine if you ever get caught. And the 'if' is only more and more likely to become a 'when' as the industry gets more serious about clamping down on it.
