I tried to copy a movie from a DVD to my computer, but could not do it because of something called ‘Technical Protection Measures’. What is that and am I allowed to get around them in order to make private copies?
Technical Protection Measures (TPM) refer to technologies that control and/or restrict the use of and access to digital media content on electronic devices with such technologies installed. TPMs are often used to protect copyright works, for example, through encryption on DVDs.
EU and Irish law protect the right of copyright owners to use TPMs to protect their works, and circumvention of such technology is illegal. No private copying exemption of the kind outlined exists under Irish law.
