M J Ray wrote:
"Joe Smith" unknown_kev_cat@hotmail.com> wrote: [...] It has long beenheld that private copying is not covered by copyright. (Think: making a cassette tape from a cd).Maybe you've just worded this badly, or maybe you're relying on some specific place's laws, but my private copying is subject to copyright law. If I am copying for private study, time-shifting, or several other fairly narrow purposes (including making a cassette tape for myself, I believe), my copying doesn't infringe copyright. That's not the same thing as not being covered by copyright.
In case you're really curious, this is due in the US to an accidental change in the copyright law in the 1909 Copyright Act. Prior to that, "copyright" in the US only covered "distribution". Unfortunately, the accidental change has stuck, and "copyright" now covers "copying". (Write your Senators and Representative and ask them to fix it, but after nearly 100 years I'm not getting my hopes up.)
In countries with a natural rights theory of copyright, it's always covered "copying". There may be some countries remaining with a saner copyright law on this matter, but I don't know of any offhand.