>protection protects the corporations but violates our Fair Use 
>rights....  even as consumers, we have the right to make a personal copy, 
>a fact that seems to be forgotten in the shuffle....

US copyright law does not have a right for personal copies.  The Audio Home 
Recording Act does provide an exemption for noncommercial use for a 
consumer but it's only for musical sound recording.  Though the actual text 
isn't quite clear that this means an individual can copy music (Title 17, 
chapter 10, section 1008) the legislative history indicates that this was 
the intention.  (Interestingly, the history is also explicit that the 
exemption only applies to musical recordings so any audio book duplications 
are still violations.)

There are some other very limited exceptions both in the statutes (specific 
types of library and classroom use) and from courts (video timeshifting) as 
well as fair use but none of this is a right.  For example, the AHRA may 
allow you to copy a CD for personal use but photocopying the enclosed 
booklet isn't exempted.


Lang

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Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu