British Think-tank Calls for IP Laws to be Re-evaluated

The Institute for Public Policy Research is calling for the British government to seriously reevaluate the current copyright regime in England. Calling into mind, specifically, the proposed 50 year extension of copyright protection for sound recordings, the think-tank argues that a law must engender public respect (which copyright obviously doesn't if 50% of British citizens have illegally made copies of music). Currently, it is illegal for the British to copy CDs to MP3 players.

The digitization of copyright enforcement has led to an imbalance: "The once symbiotic relationship between IPRs and public domain has become increasingly oppositional as a result of these technological changes," says the IPPR. The report also attacks digital rights management (DRM) for its inability to understand exceptions to copyright. See the BBC Article for more information.