[xdanx]

So what’s actually the deal with downloading mp3s/storeing them on your computer???

All I hear on the radio is the download charts, wed sites to “legally” download music/complete albums, of course you have to pay! Legal Kazaa and Legal Napster etc.…. So whats the deal with downloading albums for free from Kazaa/Soulseek/BT sites? Is it illegal? I read somewhere, that’s its 100% legal to own mp3s, on your pc/iPod/cdr – if you own the original copy? Like a back up, same with DVD movies… and u can download an album from a BT site, if you own an orginal?? and what heppends if you then sell that origianl copy? do you have to destroy the origial? real player and windows media player, ask me if i wanna copy every cd i put into my computer, so its legal to copy it to my HD in rm, wma, mp3 format etal... but then if i sell the CD (original) i got from the shop to a friend, will that make my copy of the music on my computer illigal???

So whats is the deal, whats legal and whats not??? Someone told me on the news people have been getting busted for having downloaded mp3s… so even if you own the orginal, is downloading form a Bit Terret site, illegal??

Thanks for info in advanced!!!

[dugq]

Where this is my understanding of UK law, and I think it also applies to the US. If you download copyrighted material from Kazaa, BT etc then thats definitely illegal. Ripping CDs you already own to your harddrive, thats legal, although not always possible if the CD has copy protection, although most don't.
Personally I can't understand why you would want to download something if you already have it on CD, especially since mp3 uses compression and so is lower quality than the CD, but you need to bear in mind that when you download something from a file sharing network you are also sharing that file with other people, who probably haven't got the CD. As far as I understand, the people who have been prosecuted have been prosecuted for making music available to other people, rather than merely downloading it themselves. As for buying a CD, ripping to mp3, and then selling the CD, I do not know, but I expect that is illegal too, since when you buy the CD you are buying the right to make back ups or personal use, I would expect that when you sell it you are selling that same right.

Personally the legality of mp3 is irrelevent to me, I hate mp3 because of the nasty sound quality, why we are moving downwards in sound quality with increasing technology is beyond me. Given the costs of downloading legal mp3s, and the sound quality of the product you are paying for, I think the legal services are a joke. When a site starts offering tracks in a lossless format such as FLAC or SHN, then I may be interested. The only time I download an mp3 is for trial purposes, if I like it, I'll delete it and buy the CD, if I don't like it, I'll just delete it. Illegal, yes, immoral, IMO, no.

[kronus]

It raises a good point about pay sites. Why should I download a lower quality recording for about the same price as a CD? In Vancouver, we have nearly the cheapest CDs in the world. I can get most CDs for at most $15, used, $10. If that CD has 15 tracks, at $0.99 each track for an mp3, I might as well buy the real thing and cut it to mp3 so it'll play on my player. They sure aren't trying to reduce the crime are they?

Canada recently found that file sharing and file sharing programs are not illegal. It is illegal to posess music you have not purchased, but you are allowed to open your drive to the world to let people walk in and take whatever they can. It's up to the thief to face charges of copyright infringement or whatever the charge for stealing music would be. Don't quote me on that one, I'm interpreting a decision from a few months back.

[xdanx]

so can you/has anyone every been arrested for having mp3s on a ipod/pc/cdr whatever...???

i mean, i sold a **** load of my cds, all that i ripped to Cdr, so now can i get put in jail, for owning em?

[moebius]

Originally Posted by kronus

It raises a good point about pay sites. Why should I download a lower quality recording for about the same price as a CD? In Vancouver, we have nearly the cheapest CDs in the world. I can get most CDs for at most $15, used, $10. If that CD has 15 tracks, at $0.99 each track for an mp3, I might as well buy the real thing and cut it to mp3 so it'll play on my player. They sure aren't trying to reduce the crime are they?

Canada recently found that file sharing and file sharing programs are not illegal. It is illegal to posess music you have not purchased, but you are allowed to open your drive to the world to let people walk in and take whatever they can. It's up to the thief to face charges of copyright infringement or whatever the charge for stealing music would be. Don't quote me on that one, I'm interpreting a decision from a few months back.

no. here in dubai, we have the cheapest CDs in the world. starting from $7 upto $15

www.stealingisillegal.com

[dugq]

Originally Posted by xdanx

so can you/has anyone every been arrested for having mp3s on a ipod/pc/cdr whatever...???

i mean, i sold a **** load of my cds, all that i ripped to Cdr, so now can i get put in jail, for owning em?

I dont think you need worry. The reason people are being taken to court over file sharing isn't so much the downloading but the uploading part of file sharing. Look at it this way, if you download a track from Kazaa its the equivalent of buying a pirated cd, if you upload a track, it is the equivalent of selling pirated cds, a far more serious offence. I dont think anyones going to bother taking you to court over rupping cds, even if you have sold them.

As for the cheapest cds in the world, has to be Thailand

[xdanx]

thanks dugg, that makes sence... cus i got myself an ipod (£257) and i ripped my entire cd collection to it (and sold half of it, to pay for the pod, yep, i know im crazy) including some stuff i downloaded from Kazaa/BT sites.... and i would of been totally gutted if i would of needed to delete em all! Hah

they dont make it clear what you can put on an ipod when u buy it! so many mp3 players out there that just dont make sence!

but i know what people are saying, its still illigal...

[xdanx]

innit

[dugq]

ya knows it

[xdanx]

thanks

[AvvY]

does all this go the same for downloading programs say through BT? a friend of mine came up with the following logic. "surely the program companys havnt copyrighted every single file of the program. and all ur doing is downloading the files. and through BT u dont know exactly who are what file ur getting from where, u cant be said to be downloading a specific program. its just people randomly sharing files to people they dont know". i said if i ever got busted he could be my defence lawyer, haha

[kronus]

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-248176.html?legacy=cnet
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=...e+Search&meta=

Just some napster vs metallica if you'd like to read. Or rather the other way around: Metallica vs. Napster

Bigavvy: I'm pretty sure most software companies copyright any code they write. I would and I don't write code. You might get away on a technicality providing some company didn't copyright a certain bit of code. Do you think Microsoft would say, "rundll32.exe, that's not important, let's not copyright it." Minor program, but they wrote it and hold the rights to issue distribution licenses. They distribute their own code, so it's a bit of a different situation from most sofware companies.
Copyright is a pretty strange thing. The right to distribute is very simple. To distribute, you must have explicit permission from the copyright holder. Every EULA states that the contents of the files are not to be copied or distributed by any means. Freeware agreements are unique in that distibution is encouraged.
Don't get busted with illegally obtained software. How does it go, posession is 9/10ths of the law? I can open my computer to you, legally, but it does not mean you can take whatever you want from it. Unless you have permission from the copyright holders...

[AvvY]

lol, good point

[spawn01]

Even though the police won’t be knocking on my door to arrest me for downloading music, I sometimes think twice before doing it. It is not just getting free music anymore it's being called music piracy. It has become the issue of whether downloading or uploading music is in some way stealing. Remember the 12-year-old girl who was arrested for file sharing. Her mother had to pay $2000 to settle the lawsuit. Here’s the article: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/...in570507.shtml

[AvvY]

im sorry but that is disgusting. seriously u guys (Americans) are messed up on so many levels. i dont understand how a company could try and sue a 12y/o girl. ok im not defending her but seriously! thats outright disgusting!
i think one of the issues is whether people are making money out of all this. i know that i dont pay for downloaded items and i dont sell them. i know a guy in Australia got into trouble but thats because he had a webiste that posted downloads and he was making money out of the advertising.