Comments on: Why is it illegal to download music when home CD players are equipped with a record button. Ambiguous?

By: soundman_jaybee

soundman_jaybee — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:54:32 +0000

Technically it IS illegal to copy material under copyright, but you would not get prosecuted if you are just backing up your CD collection. You only commit an act that would lay you open to prosecution if you ’share’ or ’sell’ the copy (or if you give away the copy but retain the original…)
As regards the hardware, you can use a CD recorder to duplicate non-copyrighted material such as your very own recorded material or to record yourself via the analogue inputs. You could also say that it is perfectly legal to buy a gun - but that doesn’t make it OK to use it in the street….
I think that you’re right there is a dual standard at work here, but technically, you still don’t have the right to copy material where it is currently under copyright.

By: david

david — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:54:32 +0000

sort of funny… isn’t it.

By: kenneth h

kenneth h — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:54:32 +0000

to discourage people from copying free of charge and selling them for a profit, the companies spent millions in producing them.

By: ehwatsup

ehwatsup — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:54:32 +0000

That would be the argument they have went over and over for a long time. It is basically illegal to copy anyones copywrited material for financial gain or promotional ads. In other words any reproduction.

By: marydairycow

marydairycow — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:54:32 +0000

It is legal to download music if you pay for it.

It is illegal to sell a burnt cd. But it is legal to resell a real cd, because someone bought it to begin with.

People who download music probably don’t already have the cd. So they could create one for free. That’s why they charge.
Who cares if you record a cd you have, you already paid for it? Yes you could sell it to someone if they didn’t mind a non-original cd, but that is actually illegal. For the profit reason.