BRUSSELS - Copy protection of CDs is illegal, claims the Belgian consumer rights organization Test Aankoop, who sued EMI, BMG, Sony and Universal for copy protecting their CDs. The companies will have to defend their position regarding copy protection in court. "This kind of protection violates the consumers' statutory right to copy. The words 'copy control' do not free the record companies of the law," the organization says in a press release.

  According to Test Aankoop today's CD protection misses the target when it comes to hacking and record piracy, while it undermines the consumers' rights to use the CD as they want for private purposes.

  Their Norwegian counterpart Forbrukerrådet follows the case closely. "We find it positive that the question has been asked, and we'll monitor the upcoming lawsuit with excitement," Paal Bjönness, legal councelor of Forbrukerrådet says. "This will probably not be the last lawsuit of this kind," Bjönness continues.

  Last year both a French and an Australian consumer rights organization sued record companies.

• Aftonbladet's article (In Swedish)