EXCEPTIONS TO COPYRIGHT

That this House notes the Government's intention to introduce a new exception to copyright giving consumers the right to copy content, such as music CDs, onto other devices in their possession, such as MP3 players, provided the content has been legitimately purchased and is for their own personal use; welcomes the clarity and flexibility such an exception will give to consumers and acknowledges the significant value for consumers and the electronics industry that is derived from the transferability of music; believes that a form of compensation for rights holders should be considered with such an exception; further welcomes the proposal from a coalition of the music community for an `exception subject to licence' requiring manufacturers of devices which exploit the transferability of music to acquire a licence from rights owners; and believes an exception without compensation could contravene article 5(2B) of the EU Copyright Directive, which provides that creators and rights holders are entitled to fair compensation when new copying exceptions are introduced, and that such an exemption may significantly harm UK creators and careers of young musicians.