The Copyright And Related Rights Regulations 2003 Act (CRRRA) are a series of regulations designed to bring us into line with the European Union Copyright Directive.

Computer games users enjoy a sprecial privilege under the existing copyright law. According to section 50(A) of the 1988 Copyright, Designs & Patents Act. It states that legal purchasers of computer games are explicitly permitted to make a backup copy of their purchase.

Interestingly, the rule specificly applies to computer games. For no adequately explained reason, purchasers of Music CD's or DVD movies are not granted the same rights to protect their investment.

This section of the law has not been changed by the CRRRA. You're still entitled by UK law to make a backup of any piece of software you legally buy.

Section 296Z - 296 makes it an offence to do anything at all which is designed to curcumvent any piece of copyright protection technology. However, it is also an offence to deprive the consumer of any right which is explicitly granted to
them by law. So if copy protection is implemented, which there is no legal way to circumvent, (and thanks to the CRRRA now there isn't) you are depriving the consumer of the opportunity to exercise their right to a backup. Which is illegal.



Here are a few links for those of you still in denial...

http://www.patent.gov.uk/copy/notices/2003/copy_direct3.htm

Details of the law that's been changed.

http://www.elspa.com/consumer/faqs.asp

ELSPA's statement on backup law.



Now that I've proven it's ILLEGAL (not to mention immoral) to encrypt or copy protect discs for games, I think I'm entitled to do this: <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I stand by everything I've said, and all the publishers are no better than the pirates when it comes to respecting other peoples rights.

Faith is believing in something you know isn't true