UK copyright exceptions come into force on October 1

The new exceptions come into force on October 1 this year. They follow exceptions for libraries, education, research, disabled people and public bodies which came into force on June 1.

The government claims the exceptions will benefit the economy and clarify the law for consumers.

However critics have complained that the exceptions legitimise some copying without providing adequate compensation to rights owners. Unlike most European countries, the UK does not have a system of copyright levies.

The personal copying exception allows consumers to make personal copies for their own private use; the “parody, caricature and pastiche” exception allows use of copyright material for these purposes “to the extent that the use is fair and proportionate”; and the quotation exception extends the existing “criticism or review” exception to all types of fair quotation “to the extent that the use is fair and proportionate”.

For more details see: the UK legislation website; government guidance on copyright law changes; information on the June 1 exceptions.

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