RIAA claims copying CDs to iPods is unlawful
By Emru Townsend
US record-label body the RIAA and movie-industry moguls at the MPAA
are attempting to argue that copying a CD to a computer for
carrying on an iPod does not, and has never, constituted fair
use.
A report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation says 14
organisations, including the two mentioned, have submitted a filing
as part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's regular review
process of exemptions to provisions against tampering with
technological protection measures.
This means that, in essence, all rights to copy anything are held
by the copyright owner. Those rights can be sold or assigned, which
is why a record label can reproduce and distribute a given
musician's songs. Since copyright holders haven't granted specific
permission to make a copy of a song, you aren't allowed to, by the
letter of the law.
Within American law, "fair use" is an exception that, among other
things, allows people to make copies within certain circumstances
and constraints. So making a copy of a CD for your own personal use
is within the scope of fair use. That's the way copyright law has
worked for quite some time.
But these new claims show that the right to tote your CD's contents
around on your MP3 player were never expressly given, and that, for
some reason, fair use doesn't apply. The implication is that all
this time, they've been graciously allowing us to make tapes and
MP3s from CDs bought for personal use.
The RIAA also claims that digital rights management has only
increased legitimate access to copyright works.
Can I laugh? So do I buy 2 CDs if I wanna listen to it at home
and another for copying into my iPod? What about in the car? If
there are 4 people in the car must we have 4 CDs? RIAA never fails
to make me laugh.
The amazing thing is, they are unknowingly gaining business for
Apple iTunes Store. Nobody will buy CDs anymore
Good thing I live in Singapore 
