For those unfamiliar with the Reith series, its an annual BBC presentation of 6 lectures on a different topic each year. A committee picks a renowned expert who holds the lectures & Q and A sessions around the world. In the past they’ve covered the mind, technology, and this year, music. The strange thing about this year is that the BBC posted mp3s (as usual) after each lecture, yet they vanished after seven days, and only realmedia files are now available. I haven’t the foggiest idea why the BBC would do this, I’m pretty sure its not to conserve bandwidth. So my question is two-fold, firstly, is it legal to spread the mp3s that the bbc posted to the public even if they were later removed? And secondly, if its cool w/ the mods, can anyone help me find the mp3s?
The BBC’s main form of audio is still, as it has been for quite a few years, the BBC radio player, which essentially is an integrated Real Player type setup that plays .rm files.
The introduction of downloadable/podcastable mp3 files is a recent development, and one that is essentially in a trial period. As for the seven-day time limit on the mp3 files, that is their policy not just with the Reith Lectures, but with all programs where mp3 files are offered. The reason for it is explained on their FAQ Page:
Regarding the legality of redistributing the mp3 files, i’m not an expert on UK copyright law, but i imagine that it wouldn’t be legal.
The BBC’s Terms of Use for the mp3 files, on this page (scroll down to near the bottom), says: