UK law change permits CD ripping

The UK government has amended the law so people can legally back up copyrighted content they have purchased.

British residents can now make digital copies of music, movies and ebooks for their own personal usage without risk of reprimand.

However, it remains illegal to remove the technical protection method (TPM) from any copyrighted content, so a barrier remains in place where a wealth of content is concerned.

The coalition also declared that storing purchased material on cloud storage services is also legal, rejecting claims from some licence holders that this could be considered a form of piracy.

Business secretary Vince Cable said the legislative change was "not only common sense but good business sense".

He said: "Bringing the law into line with ordinary people's reasonable expectations will boost respect for copyright, on which our creative industries rely.

"We feel we have struck the right balance between improving the way consumers benefit from copyright works they have legitimately paid for, boosting business opportunities and protecting the rights of creators."

The report concluded that the changes "strike a fair balance" without harming the revenue of licence holders.