A report for the UK government looking into current copyright laws has released its findings. It follows on from a news story on CDFreaks two weeks ago about the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) pushing for an extension in the copyright of songs from 50 years to 95 years.

The report recommends a change in the current law to allow people the right to copy music from a CD to MP3 format for use in their portable players. It also suggests that tougher penalties should be made against those who break copyright law in order to "protect" the entertainment industry. One example of this is bringing the maximum jail time for those who sell pirated movies online in line with those who sell them as hard copies. Currently it's only 2 years, with the report proposing it be extended to 10 years.

The article is fairly long, and full of some lovely facts and figures about piracy. I particularly love the quote "This is a battle royal against a cunning and adaptable enemy". It was welcomed by the BPI overall (no wonder, sending people to jail for 10 years would suit them) but they will ask for an extension to the copyright laws at the European Commission next year.