After a lengthy two-year legislative process, the UK is nearly ready to drag its copyright law into the digital era. The country's Intellectual Property Office has published the final version of copyright exceptions that make it legal to rip CDs and otherwise shift formats. As of June 1st, Brits can copy media as much as they like for personal use. Institutions can also make duplicates for backups or research, and the Secretary of State can tell copyright holders to make content accessible if paying for an alternative format isn't practical. Out-and-out piracy is still forbidden, of course, but the new measures should let locals modernize their media collections without feeling a twinge of guilt.

[Image credit: Jonathon Colman, Flickr]