The British government has said that it plans to overhaul the country’s archaic copyright laws, making it legal to copy music and DVDs that people own to storage devices such as iPods and computers.
So far, Britons have been copying music and movies from DVDs to other devices, perhaps unaware that it was illegal to do so.
The government said that it plans to legalise ‘format-shifting’, reported The New York Times.
Business secretary Vince Cable said, "We can’t carry on saying that businesses should embrace technology but then not allow consumers to use everyday technology to play works they’ve paid for."
The move and other changes in copyrights laws are expected to remove obstacles for companies like Google, Amazon and Apple, which offer cloud based services to store content.
Cable said that the government is determined to explore how exceptions to copyright can benefit the UK economy and support growth.
He said, "Private copying is carried out by millions of people and many are astonished that it is illegal in this country.
"We need to bring copyright into line with people’s expectations and update it for the modern digital world."
He added, "This will free up innovative British businesses to develop new consumer technology and help boost economic growth."
However, it is expected that file-sharing of copyrighted material will remain illegal.
