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Wednesday January 2, 2008
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We couldn't bid 2007 a proper farewell without one last bonehead move by our friends at the major labels. For some time now, it's largely been considered legal to rip electronic versions of music that you purchase, so long as they're for your own use. When you buy a CD, that music becomes your personal possession.
Desperate times, however, call for desperate shifts in litigation. According to The Washington Post, the RIAA has sent a letter to an Arizona-based music fan, accusing him of "illegally" transferring his CD collection to his hard drive.
During the trial of Jammie Thomas, the Minnesota woman who was ordered by the court to pay $220,000 in damages for the 24 songs she was sharing online, Jennifer Pariser, Sony BMG's chief of litigation, testified, "When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song." He added that when one makes that copy, it's "a nice way of saying 'steals just one copy.'"
While recent consumer wins with regards to technologies such as VCRs and DVRs may set a precedent on the matter of copying your own entertainment, the RIAA just wouldn't be the RIAA if it backed down. Jonathan Lamy, a spokesman for the organization, told The Post that it would continue to bring on the suits: "It's not our first choice, but it's a necessary part of the equation. There are consequences for breaking the law."
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January 2, 2008 2:48 PM
It should be noted that the RIAA has changed their tune on this issue:
Gillmor adds: "Also, from the Supreme Court oral arguments in the Grokster case, Donald Virrelli, on behalf of the entertainment companies:"
From Boing Boing.January 3, 2008 9:30 PM
The record companies are stealing us blind, according to them we can't buy music from them only the right to listen to it if we can in private with no body else able to hear it, they pay musicians as little as they can get away with. Provide damaged goods. I have a personal cd player that won't play most of the newer cd's because of that. (But can't get a refund for the cd's that I can't play).
According to these record companies we are all criminals and so they are wrecking peoples lives and the US government seems to think stealing a record track is a far worse crime than most others as the fines far outweigh any fines for almost anything else you can imagine.
Its time to say if I can't buy it and own it I won't have it. After all its free on the radio.
Oh and I only listen to the radio now as I stopped buying cd's when I brought an Enya cd with 28 mins of music on that I had to work for 2 hours to earn enough money to purchase.
Ripping us off YOU BET