Lawyer: Ripping MP3s Illegal, Grounds for Lawsuit

...at least one lawyer for the Recording Industry Association of America...considers the copying of songs from your own CDs to your own computer, for your own personal use, to be just as illegal as posting them online for all to share, according to a federal lawsuit filed in Arizona.


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If this is upheld by the court I will never EVER purchase another CD.

That is such crap. If I LEGALLY purchase a CD I should be able to determine how I would like to listen to it. If I want to play it through iTunes by ripping it into .mp3 files or AAC files then that should be my business. It's MY CD!

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Next will be people that print out websites to read on the train being hauled in for breaking the law.

If upheld (and it would be hard to monitor anyway) - it would be either the death of portable music or a major online battle between itunes and other music providers in the e-commerce sector.

It's interesting because just today I saw an article on yahoo news which stated that CDs are pretty much going the way of the dinosaur within a year or two because of the popularity of online music. The article said that tv and movies would take a lot longer - but that cd's will be the first to go - and "soon"

So maybe this is all moot.

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i cant wait for Besty to weigh in on this.

Craig--I've already started watching TV programs and movies on my Archos 605 Wifi Potable Video. It's easy and I love it.

If the screen on the iPhone were a little bigger, people would start watching TV and movies on their iPhones. It's just a matter of time.

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This is just going to get people to do more illeagle downloading.

Only because the RIAA gets money if people eiather buy music off of someplace like Itunes or actually go to the store and by a CD.

They are getting the money eiather way. If you buy a CD from a store they are still getting money regardless of what you do wiht it after you buy it.

That is why the article is just flat out stupid.

It is saying that you can buy the CDs but not make them portable by putting them on your Ipod ect. Then the qustion is why continue to have CDs. Just make everything digital.

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"If the screen on the iPhone were a little bigger, people would start watching TV and movies on their iPhones. It's just a matter of time."

That time is already here. I know many people (include myself) who watch TV shows and movies on their iPhones.

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That time is already here. I know many people (include myself) who watch TV shows and movies on their iPhones.

It's fun, isn't it? I sit on the crosstown bus and watch Broadway videos I downloaded from YouTube and wonder if the lady next to me is the Equity monitor.

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This would never hold up in a court of law. People have a legal right to make an archival copy of the CDs/data they purchase, as long as they own the original. They would have to rewrite current copyright laws in order to put this into effect.

Even if they did rewrite the current law, they would never be able to police it. My guess is that they would only go after targeted people whom they suspect of large-quantity illegal downloads. Since it would involve search warrants and seizing computer hard drives, etc. And "while they were in the neighborhood" they would call into question the CD file copies.

But to your "average citizen," they're not going to barge into your home randomly and seize your computer to see if you've made copies of your own CDs for private use. Unless they want a nice counter-suit for invasion of privacy.

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Even then it's hard to police, Best.

Is it illegal to buy a CD and loan it to a friend to listen to?

If possession of the physical CD can be "transferred" - why should an owner not be able to transfer an mp3. And by transferring I don't mean copying a cd or mp3 for a friend, but maintaining ownsership of both.

Again - as Best said - this law will be "on the books" - but only as an additional "charge." IE - if you're already suspect or have your computer siezed for other reason.

It's like getting Al Capone on tax evasion. If you get caught and have to pay fines for ripping MP3s - it will be because you've done something much bigger they've nabbed you on.

Before the seatbelt laws were fully on the books, you couldn't be pulled over JUST for that.

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The media is making this issue more and more confusing. I don't know what to believe.
Washington Post sticks by RIAA story despite evidence it goofed

I'm just trying to comprehend all this stuff. What about all the CD's that are not available to download legally? Would I have to repurchase everything I already own?

Ugh!

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