Paul Serice <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Is there jurisprudence on the specific topic of how the fair use > exception relates to making personal copies?
One interesting precedent I know of. First, there is precedent that you may make a tape recording of a musical album you own, for personal purposes including reducing wear and tear on the album, more convenient or portable format, and so forth. I assumes that the freedom to make a personal cassette tape of a vinyl album would extend to making a personal MP3 of a CD. Personal in the precedent excludes making copies for other people. > From the LaMacchia case and the "No Electronic Theft Act" of 1997 it > seems there isn't much room left in criminal cases for anything but the > statute. Do you know if that is true and if it is different in civil > cases? The rule for fair use is identical in both civil and criminal cases. Criminal copyright infringement is a strict subset of civil infringement: if an act of copying is criminal, then it is perforce a civil infringement.
