Do these people ever actually listen to themselves, to hear what they sound like? The RIAA has declared that copying music from a CD you own to an MP3 player you own is not necessarily covered by “fair use,” previous statements by media industry lawyers notwithstanding.
The referenced statement, by an industry lawyer before the Supreme Court, intended to show how the music industry was kind and gentle and loved bunnies and consumers, said:
Except, of course, what he really meant to say (according to the RIAA’s current stance) that they are simply, out of the goodness of their hearts, authorizing you, permitting you, allowing you, to do this. If they decide not to, if they “withhold that authorization,” then, well, damn, you’re stuck with being an illegal schmuck pirate if you decide to copy your their music onto your iPod, and ought to be subject to the full force of the DMCA and the courts.
Idiots. I don’t see any “licensing agreement” or “conditions of use” or similar lawyerly claptrap on any of the CDs in my collection (not that I don’t doubt someone’s considering slipping them in). As far as I’m concerned, it’s mine, baby, and the only thing I have to do to respect your copyright is not give away or sell copies of it. Which is quite reasonable.
But if I make copies for myself, that is my business, not yours.
(via BoingBoing)
C’mon, show a little compassion for those guys. They must be exhausted from stuffing genies back into bottles. The darn things keep escaping…
They seem hell bent intent on making it their business. Especially if all these laws requiring HDCP compliance and/or “plugging the analog hole” go into effect.
Yes. “If we can’t address the fundamental IP law, we’ll simply hem it in with legally required technical restrictions.”
Feh.