Government Reviewing UK Copyright Laws

It seems that there’s another review of UK copyright laws taking place. Let’s hope it leads to some actual legal reform this time. While Apple – and countless others – encourage us to rip our CDs, there’s little understanding in the British public that this is, technically, still an illegal act of copyright infringement.

Legal protection for parody and satire is long overdue, too. My own webcomic is fairly tame as far as parodies go – but the threat of legal action always looms overhead. Yes, it’s unlikely that I’ll get sued for the kind of comics I produce, but the fact remains that I’m on shaky ground, legally speaking. However unlikely it is, the possibility is still there. For the sake of free speech that’s one legal loophole that really does need to be closed.

It’s about time our outdated laws were brought into line with the modern world. But while the average man on the street might see legal ripping of CDs as the most important part of this review, I think that protecting parody and satire will be more beneficial, in the long run. So please, let’s get the reviewing done quickly, and start legislating as soon as possible.

UPDATE: Ars Technica’s coverage of this review – which provided this link to the report itself – it well worth reading.