I seem to always find myself taking a conservative position on copyright issues and I find myself in much the same position today. The U.S. Copright Office just created some new policy regarding copyright and I have started to read speculation as to what this means for educators. What the changes appear to address are the rights of anyone who purchases content to circumvent protection measures for the purpose of more flexible PERSONAL access. It does not appear to me that there has been any change in what represents fair use. So, for example, I can now use Handbrake to legally move a video I have purchased from a DVD to my desktop computer and then to move the movie to my iPod for viewing. I have circumvented the protection to offer myself a different viewing option.
Perhaps I could record the audio output from a Kindle if I would rather listen to a book than read it (or if I was unable to read it).
What is allowed certainly seems logical and simply allows practices that are already common. As described these allowances do not change revenue opportunities for providers, but allow access alternatives for consumers.
