FACTFILE: Pirate recordings now illegal even for personal use
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Under the new copyright law, the downloading of illegal files, such as pieces of music, is illegal. Although no criminal sanctions are provided for, the holder of the copyright is entitled to demand compensation.
Distributing files to others on the Internet is a crime under certain circumstances, even if there is no profit motive.
Importing unauthorised copies of music, films, and computer games is considered a copyright violation, even if they are intended only for personal use; if the intention is to distribute the recordings to others, the act becomes a copyright crime.
It is legal to make a copy of a legally acquired recording for one's self, and a few copies for close friends and relatives, as long as the recording is not copy-protected.
Breaking copy protection is a crime whose prosecution requires the cooperation of an injured party, but distribution of the means to break copy protection, such as distributing software for the purpose, is a matter for public prosecutors.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 2.1.2006
More on this subject:
 New law turns musicians into Internet police
Links:
Anti-Piracy Centre in Finland
Helsingin Sanomat
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