UK copyright law is being updated, and from June 1st it will no longer be illegal to make copies of CDs, ebooks or any other media for personal use.
Under current copyright law, it’s illegal to copy a CD to keep as a backup or play the music on an MP3 player, as well as format shift an ebook you’ve bought from one device to another. The new laws will provide exceptions for these – as long as it’s for your own use, you can shift music, films, ebooks etc around any number of formats as much as you like.
It’s still illegal to make copies for friends and family, mind. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) explains that if you make a copy of an album, say, for a friend, once you’ve given them the copy you should destroy or delete any personal copies you have.
These new laws will also provide different rules for quoting written works. If you’re interested, the full list can be found at the IPO’s website.