To what extent is the user of a copyrighted digital work entitled to make a copy for personal use of the work without the copyright holder s consent? Are file-sharers shielded from copyright liability under the exception of private copying when they download music files from peer-to-peer networks for free? May Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies solve the digital copyright dilemma and become user-friendly ?

These are some of the questions that this book considers in its thorough exploration of the legal framework of EU digital copyright law from the perspective of the end-user . It provides a detailed examination of the implications that the spectacular rise of this new actor creates for the interplay between the EU copyright system and human rights law, competition law and other important policies contained in the EC Treaty.

This book is the first comprehensive, critical analysis of its kind. It is crucial reading for lawyers, policymakers and academics interested in copyright law, competition law covering digital media and information technology, consumer digital rights, Internet governance, freedom of expression and user data protection in digital settings.