Ripping CDs to iPods
p2p news / p2pnet: Leave no stone unturned in the quest to milk the last drop of money from cash-cow consumers, is the motto of the Big Four record label Organized Music cartel.
With that in mind, will it soon be out of bounds, "to continue to make copies of your own CDs on your own iPod"? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
RIAA Says Ripping CDs to Your iPod is NOT Fair Use
By Fred von Lohmann – Deep Links
It is no secret that the entertainment oligopolists are not happy about space-shifting and format-shifting. But surely ripping your own CDs to your own iPod passes muster, right? In fact, didn’t they admit as much in front of the Supreme Court during the MGM v. Grokster argument last year?
Apparently not.
As part of the on-going DMCA rule-making proceedings, the RIAA and other copyright industry associations submitted a filing that included this gem as part of their argument that space-shifting and format-shifting do not count as noninfringing uses, even when you are talking about making copies of your own CDs:
"Nor does the fact that permission to make a copy in particular circumstances is often or even routinely granted, necessarily establish that the copying is a fair use when the copyright owner withholds that authorization. In this regard, the statement attributed to counsel for copyright owners in the MGM v. Grokster case is simply a statement about authorization, not about fair use."
For those who may not remember, here’s what Don Verrilli said to the Supreme Court last year:
"The record companies, my clients, have said, for some time now, and it’s been on their website for some time now, that it’s perfectly lawful to take a CD that you’ve purchased, upload it onto your computer, put it onto your iPod."
If I understand what the RIAA is saying, "perfectly lawful" means "lawful until we change our mind." So your ability to continue to make copies of your own CDs on your own iPod is entirely a matter of their sufferance. What about all the indie label CDs? Do you have to ask each of them for permission before ripping your CDs? And what about all the major label artists who control their own copyrights? Do we all need to ask them, as well?
P.S.: The same filing also had this to say: "Similarly, creating a back-up copy of a music CD is not a non-infringing use…."
(Thanks, Bill E)
February 16th, 2006 at 11:00 am
Legal or not, I don’t give a rat’s ass. Long live EAC, long live LAME. Power to the people!!!
February 16th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
then RIAA can say bye bye to cd sales… if I had the choice of buying a digital album that I could upload to my favorite music player (and burn to CD for that matter), why would someone buy a CD which is so restrictive?
February 16th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
I prefer the sound quality of a CD, especially over some 128kbit music file. But I don’t buy RIAA releases. Surprise surprise, most of the best artists are all indie.
February 17th, 2006 at 12:30 am
I don’t even bother with cd’s these days. I just keep all my music on my harddrives. I don’t buy them anymore, i don’t rip them anymore.
Even few cd’s i do own, i download those albums from the internet instead of ripping from my cd’s. It’s far easier this way, and the quality is usually better.
Who wants tons of crappy cd’s lying around which only hold 12-13 songs for a 700MB cd? It’s a completely waste. If you want to transfer songs, use ogg vorbis or mp3, that way you store like 8-10 albums on one 700MB cd, or a hell of a lot more on a dvd.
The RIAA is hurting itself when it uses these such policies. If you aren’t allowed to rip your own cd’s thats fine, we’ll just download them from the internet and copy them then
February 17th, 2006 at 8:54 am
This is exactly what the RIAA is after, the removal of cds off the market. They are already gearing up for the move to dvds and cds have an expected continual downturn in sales by forecast. Those cds aren’t copylocked and that’s the very thing the RIAA wants to end.
Less and less am I inclined to ever return to buying music from the major labels again. Every time I read something they are proud of and trumpting about as the latest triumph, it always leaves me feeling dirty and unwashed that such could happen.
After decades of established user conditions, now with the change to digital they want to set copyright back to the 1800’s. I for one will never support these methods and it now makes me glad I don’t under todays present atmosphere with continual attacks on fair use.
February 18th, 2006 at 8:20 am
With the underhanded behaviour we’ve seen from those within the RIAA’s big 4… they should hardly have any right to try to dictate the law.
After all they’ve done to rob, cheat and steal from consumers and then go on to bully consumers with legal threats (which actually have a weak basis and are being done more to terrorize people than anything else.)..
It’s hard to see why ANYONE still buys music from RIAA labels and artists. I’d rather boycott their music and all artists who go through them COMPLETELY…
After all.. we’ll hear that crap whenever we turn on mainstream radio… as they’ve plagued the airwaves with their crap through (unsuprisingly..) anti-competitive practices.
That’s the problem with America… corporate criminal shitheads are the one’s bastardizing the law for their own benefits (ie. profit). It’s okay for them to bend the rules beyond recognition.. but the minute we do something that DOESN’T give them profit… it’s time to re-write the law.
F**K the RIAA, for they are nothing but greedy scum.
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