RIAA: It's illegal to transfer music from your cd to computer

[arcadian]

r u kidding me?

from washington post:

Now, in an unusual case in which an Arizona recipient of an RIAA letter has fought back in court rather than write a check to avoid hefty legal fees, the industry is taking its argument against music sharing one step further: 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.

wasn't there some kind of court settlement where music industry gets a little kickback for every blank cd sold, and in return it is ok for people to backup their own music?

riaa has gone too far....

[Julie Rains]

My understanding is that it is usually okay to shift formats, which is what this guy is doing. But the agreements on the original purchase will specify what is okay and what isn't, not that I buy many CDs but I have noticed stipulations in downloads.

While I think it is important to protect Intellectual Property, I think some protections have turned into bullying and have gone too far.

For example, I needed some content for a toy safety article I was writing; the American Academy of Pediatrics has content that it says you can publish verbatim as along as you cite the source. But the American Academy of Family Practitioners wouldn't allow any quoting without permission, which would take a while to get. Now who do I think really cares about safety?

[Will]

I bought those CDs under the assumption that I could transfer them to a different format for personal use. Had I known about this ridiculous restriction, I wouldn't have purchased any CDs, or at least not at the price they are charging. Maybe the RIAA owes me a refund.

wouldn't allow any quoting without permission

How much quoting are we talking about here? If it is just a few sentences of a long article, I don't think any publisher can preempt the fair use doctrine and tell you that you couldn't quote them.

[Julie Rains]

Originally Posted by Will

How much quoting are we talking about here? If it is just a few sentences of a long article, I don't think any publisher can preempt the fair use doctrine and tell you that you couldn't quote them.

My quoting would have been a few sentences; here's what the AAFP has on its website:
Newsletter - December 15, 2000 - American Family Physician

Copyright © 2000 by the American Academy of Family Physicians. This content is owned by the AAFP. A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference. This material may not otherwise be downloaded, copied, printed, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any medium, whether now known or later invented, except as authorized in writing by the AAFP. Contact afpserv@aafp.org for copyright questions and/or permission requests.

Here's what the AAP says: AAP - Safety Tips for the Holidays
The holidays are an exciting time of year for kids, and to help ensure they have a safe holiday season, here are some tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Please feel free to excerpt these tips or use them in their entirety for any print or broadcast story, with acknowledgment of the source.


The information was very similar so I went with the AAP site.

[Will]

That's unfortunate. I have a feeling the AAFP just placed that language on there as standard boilerplage (a lot of websites probably have the same language). Maybe if they were made aware of how that language is stopping the flow of information, they would adopt a more friendly term for their content.

[Julie Rains]

The AAFP (Family Physicians) could definitely be as friendly as their physician brethern/sister-en at AAP (Pediatrics); maybe I'll give them a chance when I write on another health topic (coming soon at www.parentingsquad.com)

Long live derivative works of public domain IP! Where we would be without Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol? But I don't know when/if the Pooh copyright will ever end?
Illinois Business Law Journal: Winnie The Pooh Copyright War Rages On