The BPI, the British equivalent of RIAA, has recommended that consumers be allowed to make digital copies of music they own for personal use. Ripping is illegal in Britain, unlike the U.S., although people regularly do it anyway.

From the article:

""This is about the UK music industry responding effectively to the changing way music is consumed," said a senior industry figure yesterday.

If Gowers endorses the BPI's preferred solution to the issue of copying music, it will lead to one of the most significant changes in UK copyright law in decades.

Some of the UK's existing music copyright laws date back nearly 100 years, to the days when the gramophone was cutting-edge technology. "