Legal use of Backup Software
 

Im doing an essay on copyright law (yea fun!:( ) but anyway i was just wanting some advice on the current copyright law in regards to using a "Backup" copy - image etc of a legally purchased game.

The law is the same in Australia as in the US i think not to sure about europe.

Q. Is it legal to make a copy of a piece of software in Australia for personal backup uses only?

thanks to anyone who could give me some advice here

cheers!!

Well I'm not an expert but I'm sure that I read somewhere that Australia is about the only country where personal backups are indeed illegal. In the USA and Europe (the directive in Europe hasn't been implemented everywhere but that will come soon) the act of breaking a copy protection itself is prohibited (DMCA for USA), but personal backups are not really illegal.

In Hungary, you may create one backup of your original software - even if the EULA doesn't allow you to do so -, for security purposes. Obviously, this implicitly also states that, if your original breaks, you'll have the right to start using the backup instead. (Also, remember that the laws of a EU country have priority over the EU laws and also priority over person/company-to-person/company contracts like an EULA.)

thanks for the info cleared it up well

cheers!:)