It enables a natural person (which means a human being, not a corporate body or association) to copy a work without the permission of the rights holder, but only for private use and not for commercial purposes. An important example: the private copy - the so called right to 'reproduce for private use'. Some types of usage can't be forbidden by the rights holder. In most cases, the originator sold his exploitation rights to an agency or transferred them to a collecting society. He can decide to exclude everyone else from it or allow some or all sorts of usage (usually against payment). The holder of such exploitation rights is the only one who can decide about the usage. He can reproduce or duplicate it or publish it online. The originator who created the work has the right to determine its usage. But consumers are often unsure whether it is legal or not.Īlmost all music files and movies are works protected by copyright. Downloading songs and movies is very popular.
