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RIAA: Ripping CDs to your hard disk is illegal

10:47 AM on 12.31.2007, Dale North 102 comments

RIAA: Ripping CDs to your hard disk is illegal photo
     Music

These days, there's little love left for the Recording Industry Association of America. It's understandable that they'd want to clean up music piracy, but they always seem to approach things in the worst way. Now they say that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music onto hard disk. What?

Washington Post article says that the music industry is going after collections of music on computers, now calling MP3s made from legally bought CDs "unauthorized copies" of copyrighted recordings. This comes from legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Arizona man who kept a collection of about 2,000 on his computer.

"I couldn't believe it when I read that," says Ray Beckerman, a New York lawyer who represents six clients who have been sued by the RIAA. "The basic principle in the law is that you have to distribute actual physical copies to be guilty of violating copyright. But recently, the industry has been going around saying that even a personal copy on your computer is a violation."

In a different case, Sony BMG's chief of litigation, Jennifer Pariser, said. 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 adds.

If the RIAA is really standing behind this, that would mean that the ripped audio on my PS3 and Xbox 360 is illegal, not to mention the music on my PSP and most of the files on my iPod.

Is the RIAA really going to enforce this, or are they just getting desperate. 


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Namelessted's Avatar
Namelessted at 12/31/2007 10:51
If they actually started trying to enforce this it would be impossible. I don't know if I can think of anybod that doesn't have music on their computer. they would have to try and arrest everybody in teh country.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 12/31/2007 10:52
Yet another fanciful bit of bullshit from the RIAA.
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 12/31/2007 10:53
After reading the engadget article that ShadowXOR linked, it makes a little more sense. I have heard members of the RIAA say that MP3s are infringement, but they've never put it in legal documentation; this is a first for that.
Turtule Soup's Avatar
Turtule Soup at 12/31/2007 10:55
wtf
timtheterrible's Avatar
timtheterrible at 12/31/2007 10:58
Cars infringe on the ozone layer. Solution: sue all the drivers. Flawless.
topgeargorilla's Avatar
topgeargorilla at 12/31/2007 11:00
fuck that. I have about 6000 songs of hand downloaded and paid for music.

They can suck my balls.
DisablingEagle's Avatar
DisablingEagle at 12/31/2007 11:02
Do I get 2 girls with that cup of coffee?
UreshiiShonen's Avatar
UreshiiShonen at 12/31/2007 11:07
I suppose the only way to legally get music for an mp3 player in the future will be to use a legal downloading service... Hmm...Sounds like a clever bribe by Apple to get more people to use the iStore. Especially because the artists get more money from actual physical sale of a cd.
bmdubya's Avatar
bmdubya at 12/31/2007 11:10
Well since the RIAA is losing money not only from illegally downloading music, but by big name recording artists like Trent Reznor and Radiohead distributing music in new ways, they have to make up some stupid laws to make some money again.
Boolean's Avatar
Boolean at 12/31/2007 11:10
So...Ipods are illegal now?
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 12/31/2007 11:12
...What? Do they want us to buy the CD, then buy the MP3 as well? Idiots.
Boolean's Avatar
Boolean at 12/31/2007 11:13
""when an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song."

Wait, so are they seriously saying that if I copy and paste 'Currentsong.mp3' 50 times from a CD I bought, that they just lost 50 cd sales?!
AgentMOO's Avatar
AgentMOO at 12/31/2007 11:15
This has always been their stance on CD ripping; in their land of unicorns and leprechauns the prime minister of candyland has finally decided to enforce that. The absurdity is delicious.
Spartacus's Avatar
Spartacus at 12/31/2007 11:16
When I first saw this story, I thought it was real.
PsychoSoldier's Avatar
PsychoSoldier at 12/31/2007 11:20
Oh no I am a music pirate! I really don't understand how it is stealing when I bought the damn cd.
garrfunkel's Avatar
garrfunkel at 12/31/2007 11:25
This makes no sense. It doesnt even make sense to argue about it because its so godamn stupid.

Stopping people from ripping CD's would almost definately stop most people with a mp3 player from buyin the CD's. There goes all the money spent on actually packaging and distributing the CD's. Idiots.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 12/31/2007 11:27
*sigh*

Goddammit RIAA...
AKK's Avatar
AKK at 12/31/2007 11:29
Eh. Let's kill every one of those fuckers and put people who understand in power.

When music and movies stop being so goddamn expensive, people will stop illegally downloading them.
lem's Avatar
lem at 12/31/2007 11:31
Meh, i haven't bought a CD in years. In for a penny in for a pound i guess!
Teh_zombs's Avatar
Teh_zombs at 12/31/2007 11:31
Oh shit... I'm a fugitive on the run.

I can totally get laid for this.
KingMe's Avatar
KingMe at 12/31/2007 11:35
So how am I supposed to fill up my 30 GB iPod again?

Buy purchasing damn near ever song on iTunes? What would that result in? BILLION?!?!?!?!?

.....I think not
The-Excel's Avatar
The-Excel at 12/31/2007 11:47
I thought they established this months ago. You're not allowed to open your CD case because there's monsters inside.
NihonTiger90's Avatar
NihonTiger90 at 12/31/2007 11:48
So they want us to re-buy content we already have?

Man, imagine if the NFL went after everyone who Tivo'd a game that was on TV for viewing later and nothing more. This is pretty much the same thing.
WDot's Avatar
WDot at 12/31/2007 11:56
Wait a sec. The way Itunes works is that you buy an Itunes song, and then put it on your Ipod BUT THERE'S STILL A COPY ON THE PC. So do I have to buy all my Itunes songs twice? Or all my CD's three times? They wish.
AgentMOO's Avatar
AgentMOO at 12/31/2007 11:59
CDs are no longer needed. RIAA, either go digital or die.
itemforty's Avatar
itemforty at 12/31/2007 12:01
hahah @ The Excel
GeneralWong's Avatar
GeneralWong at 12/31/2007 12:09
I dont care, i live in England and we cant fit anyone in our prisons at the moment so they can go fuck off. Let alone 80% of the population of the UK that does this terrible crime... i suppose they can release a few 100,000 illegal immigrants and pedophiles to make space?
cjpkiller's Avatar
cjpkiller at 12/31/2007 12:12
well... looks like prison time for every music and computer owning american!!
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 12/31/2007 12:14
Yeah, as others have said, they are NOT suing people for ripping CDs (yet). The original report was erroneous. They are, however, frowning upon it, saying it's "unauthorized."

Eat me, motherfuckers. I paid for it, I'm putting it on my damn computer.
Kryptinite's Avatar
Kryptinite at 12/31/2007 12:15
The RIAA can suck my left nut.

As a matter of fact, I'm going make a video of me ripping every cd I've bought onto my Mac, into iTunes and email the video to whoever spews out this ridiculous bullshit.

Then I'm going to setup a paypal donation account because I'll probably be going to jail.
d0nfil0fi0's Avatar
d0nfil0fi0 at 12/31/2007 12:16
So that's why the Wii doesn't come with a Hard Drive... now it's not only the most insanely popular console in the market, but is also the only legal one.

Now we know what was really behind the drop of MP3 support in the Photo Channel.

Anyway, Fuck the RIAA.
JohnnyWadd's Avatar
JohnnyWadd at 12/31/2007 12:18
Fuck them and their facist ways, if i own the CD then it is MINE and i can do whatever the fuck i want with it, end of story.
Jetsetlemming's Avatar
Jetsetlemming at 12/31/2007 12:23
This has been their stance for a long while on ripping actually, and its not just bullshit, but hilarious laughable bullshit. If they actually tried to sue someone over this, they'd be violating the DMCA and American Fair Use law. Let them pontificate all they fucking want. In the mean time, make sure to keep your anti-spyware programs and Peer Guardian running and up to date, kiddies!
Jim's Avatar
Jim at 12/31/2007 12:32
C'mon, does anybody take the RIAA (aka music mafia) seriously these days?

That's just a hilarious statement by a very confused person.

If we would live in RIAA country (where they eat babies and kill puppies!) then you would have to pay EXTRA for every device you use the your music files on. iPod? KA-CHING! Desktop PC? KA-CHING! Notebook PC? KA-CHING! etc.etc.etc.

Somebody better stop this lunatics!
BluFire's Avatar
BluFire at 12/31/2007 12:33
The RIAA is just a bunch of cunts. Go to hell
SDogg554's Avatar
SDogg554 at 12/31/2007 12:39
@JohnnyWadd

right on man. thats been my stance on the issue the whole time. I have physical possession, fuck off RIAA.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 12/31/2007 12:44
Dear RIAA: If you want people to take your claims about piracy seriously, stop making batshit insane claims about piracy. I can't wait for the day when their legal team goes too far and a judge smacks the living shit out of them for it.
wonky360's Avatar
wonky360 at 12/31/2007 12:48
on a side note: It may be illegal to tape the telly here in the uk. Who is going to enforce any of this.
The law is an ass.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/225400.stm
Angel Thanatos's Avatar
Angel Thanatos at 12/31/2007 12:48
They have officially gone mad with power.
llllDrGONZOllll's Avatar
llllDrGONZOllll at 12/31/2007 12:51
So if I play a CD more than once will I have to pay extra? Soon listening to music in public will become a crime. Boy I hope they don't come after me for that old tape collection I dubbed back in the day. I guess they'll have to go after all the old radio stations I got those coppies from.
DJP3DRO's Avatar
DJP3DRO at 12/31/2007 12:53
Oh, okay, good luck going after everyone in the world who owns a computer then.
AlucardX24's Avatar
AlucardX24 at 12/31/2007 13:12
Impulsedaniel's Avatar
Impulsedaniel at 12/31/2007 13:15
Just when you think you have heard it all the RIA comes up with another one of their brilliant ideals.
AlucardX24's Avatar
AlucardX24 at 12/31/2007 13:18
They're getting desperate, obviously. They weren't able to accomplish their past goals, so now they're looking for new ones.
SubOrbital's Avatar
SubOrbital at 12/31/2007 13:18
Let's sue the RIAA for being fuckheads.
Dan CiTi's Avatar
Dan CiTi at 12/31/2007 13:38
I love having had copies of my CDs(especially when the artwork/packaging is awesome), but this is purely retarded.
Dan CiTi's Avatar
Dan CiTi at 12/31/2007 13:39
I love having hard* copies of my CDs(especially when the artwork/packaging is awesome), but this is purely retarded.
Eschatos's Avatar
Eschatos at 12/31/2007 13:42
Have they ever done any major lawsuits? Everyone already ignores them.
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