12-30-2007, 10:00 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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RIAA Goes After People For Ripping Legally Purchased CDs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/28/AR2007122800693.html
"In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer. The industry's lawyer in the case, Ira Schwartz, argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the MP3 files Howell made on his computer from legally bought CDs are "unauthorized copies" of copyrighted recordings."
Is the RIAA just totally insane? Of course, Sony "rootkit" BMG steps in with their thoughts on the issue.
"At the Thomas trial in Minnesota, Sony BMG's chief of litigation, Jennifer Pariser, testified that "when an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song." Copying a song you bought is "a nice way of saying 'steals just one copy,' " she said."
These people are completely nuts. I don't share music and there is nothing wrong with me making a personal "fair use" copy so I can play it on my MP3 player or laptop when on a trip. To hear how these people are treating honest consumers sure does tempt me to download some filesharing software. :evil: What they are basically saying is, if you have anything but digitally purchased music on your MP3 player, you are a thief, because there is no legal way to carry your own music around with you unless you invest in a portable CD player. :roll: How do they find these people to sue? Do they stand outside of a Wal-Mart and take down the license plate number of people buying MP3 players?
Update: This Engadget article states that the lawsuits don't involve ripping, but good old fashioned downloading. Still, even if the Washington Post didn't get it completely right, the quotes from Sony "Rootkit" BMG makes it pretty clear how they feel about consumers, so please, continue to rant, complain, etc. :way to go:
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12-30-2007, 10:37 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 574
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This kind of madness makes me wonder: "how is the RIAA going to keep this position, while the rest of the world protects fair use?". What are they going to do when I (European citizin) enter the US when I have 2000+ legally ripped songs on my laptop? They can't keep going on for ever protecting an outdated business-model and sueing paying customers.....
Jaap
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12-30-2007, 11:25 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by JvanEkris
This kind of madness makes me wonder: "how is the RIAA going to keep this position, while the rest of the world protects fair use?". What are they going to do when I (European citizin) enter the US when I have 2000+ legally ripped songs on my laptop?
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You'll probably be arrested. There's this place called Guantanamo where they send terrorists like you.
Quote:
They can't keep going on for ever protecting an outdated business-model and sueing paying customers.....
Jaap
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This is the only reason the RIAA exists - to protect a business model that is dying as we speak. Thankfully they're not representative of the American people as a whole and a number of people seem to have had enough including Judges and college legal departments. If you want to see how highly they are esteemed by people, search Slashdot.org for RIAA or MPAA and see what you find.
For an example - here http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/28/1958201
Interestingly, companies like Sony apparently make far more from selling hardware that allows you to rip music and their MP3 players than they do from the rights to music alone. And they're pretty much at the forefront of efforts to make fare use illegal. For reference, http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...-stealing.html So stop selling MP3 players with CD ripping software then! And sue Apple and Microsoft to take the capability to rip CDs away from iPod and Zune software.
And don't get me started on this latest Canadian stupidity which thankfully seems to be getting kicked out before it can get started - http://www.blogto.com/tech/2007/12/fight_canadas_dmca/ And this in spite of the levy they, and others, have been paying for years on media like cassettes and blank CDs to recompense the studios for "losses".
Really, the cheek of these people beggars belief and leaves me almost speechless.
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12-30-2007, 11:28 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 284
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by JvanEkris
...They can't keep going on for ever protecting an outdated business-model and sueing paying customers.....
Jaap
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Jaap I think you hit the nail on the head. RIAA's business model is outdated and they missed the opportunities offered by the digital transition of music. The model previously was that for every new technological breakthrough in recording music, one would have to repurchase his/her entire collection on the new media (e.g. I went from vinyl records -> 8 tracks/tape -> CDs). However going from CD -> MP3 doesn't require me to repurchase my music. This means the recording industry looses out on getting my money for something I already own. Rather than offering high quality digital audio (better than CD quality) or finding some other means to extract money from me in this digital age...RIAA falls back on sueing. I wonder if I copied my purchased CD audio to cassette (which one had to do prior to CD players in cars), if that would also be grounds for a suit. It never was before (or at least I never heard anyone being sued). This is getting ridiculous...they keep suing to buy time until they can figure out how to milk more money out the consumer rather than innovating.
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12-30-2007, 11:47 PM
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12-31-2007, 12:27 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 87
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It is funny year by year I buy less music due to this kind of rubbish. I only bought one album for 2007.
Of course the more people stop buying new albums (even if they are not pirating either, as in my case) the RIAA will just use the decrease in sales as proof that piracy is costing them money... The truth is, at least in my case, the RIAA is costing themselves and the bands money as I have simply had enough of stories like this and their inability to move with the times.
P.S. Was good to see what Radiohead did this year, that sort of model needs to be encouraged, if it grows it will negate the need for groups like the RIAA to even exist, along with Sony music, EMI etc and good riddance to them too.. 0X
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12-31-2007, 12:37 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 34
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I use to be a advid supporter of music in the past. I have a few boxes full of vinyl records, tapes, and at last count over 1000 cd's but since hearing about all of the sue happy RIAA I stopped buying cd's and stopped purchasing music when certain bands were complaining to their fans about downloading music.
Now to get my music fix I just hit up youtube and watch when I want to.
I still write down artists I want to purchase but if I rip a cd for my car and have to worry about getting sued for having my own paid music I might as well start downloading from filesharing sites.
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12-31-2007, 02:41 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 98
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If making even one copy of a legally owned recording for personal use is illegal, then doesn't the RIAA owe me back all those "taxes" and fees they added to the cost of blank tape and recording material to supposedly cover the financial losses from duplication?
--Chris
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12-31-2007, 04:40 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 10
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This is totally and utterly ridiculous! They might as well sue Microsoft for enabling their Windows Media Player to rip songs from a CD to MP3 format as well and all other whatsoever apps from MS and others that enable a person to copy a CD or rip CDs to MP3 format or whatsoever other format. In fact why not start suing pple for backing up legal digitally downloaded songs as well while they are at it. Heck, why not sue pple for buying a PC!!!
The American society has been generally known around the world as a somewhat litigious society which has been encouraged by the way the constitution and the laws of America have been drafted and interpreted. Which is good and bad, depending on how you look at it (I mean no offense to the American people here, as I think in the view of many Americans, they are just asserting and or protecting their rights/interest as allowed by the courts). But this RIAA action is waaaaaaay overdoing it even for America! I hope the American courts strike this action down swiftly and make it clear how the RIAA is acting like a clown!
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12-31-2007, 04:46 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 10
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i got an iPod Touch for Christmas. i can go to iTunes, download music and THEN burn a CD . . . is this illegal as well?
just how idiotic can the RIAA get? :roll:
__________________
Harold Nelson, USN, ETC(SS), retired
"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity." - Horace Mann
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