iPod device illegal, Brits told
p2pnet.net News:- Griffin Technology’s iTrip, used with Apple iPods, is illegal, people in the UK are being told.
Why?
Because it can pull in FM signals and the fear is: it’ll be used to download tunes.
“Even though it only operates in a very small area, it still breaks British law, as all FM frequencies have already been licensed to radio stations,” says BigNews Network, adding:
“If you’ve tuned it into your neighbors’ Radio 4 and they ring up and complain, we could well turn up at your door and say ‘please stop doing that,’ an official said. The maximum penalty for such offenses is two years in prison or a large fine.”
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See:-
tunes – Brits against warned against ‘iTrip’, BigNews Network, December 7, 2004
FM frequencies - ‘Super easy iPod interface’, p2pnet, July 3, 2004
December 7th, 2004 at 3:09 am
I think the summary of this story is a little off base. The iTrip is a short-range FM transmitter. The fear is not that it will “pull in” FM signals and be used for downloading music – rather the concern is that it will interfere with the FM reception of others because it is an unlicensed transmitter. This concern is of course unfounded – these devices operate at very low power and with very short range (less than 30 feet at best). They must be tuned to an unused FM frequency in order not to be overwhelmed by existing FM broadcasts even within a range of a couple of feet. That’s why they’re perfectly legal in North America.
December 7th, 2004 at 8:44 am
All the low power FM transmitters are illegal to use in the UK. But that doesn’t stop people selling them. And I’ve never ever heard of anyone being prosecuted for using them.
While we’re on P2P, it’s generally breaking copyright law in the UK to copy content from one format to another, eg taping vinyl, ripping to Mp3. It’s also probably illegal to use someone else’s WiFi or even to run a program like NetStumbler that pings an AP and asks it for its name.
None of these laws and rules make any difference to reality. We just ignore them.
December 8th, 2004 at 12:27 am
The transpod is also legal in north america. It has an effective range of about 50 feet, and can blot out any radio station it is tuned to.
the power doesnt seem to be the reason for this.. Im thinking some shinanigans from the BPI.