Ripping CDs still means 'unauthorised copies' according to RIAA

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 12 December 2007 19:12

Opinion and Analysis

The lawsuit-happy RIAA still thinks that consumers who rip music from their own, legally purchased CDs, are 'stealing', in a surprise that actually isn't a surprise at all.

ArsTechnica has published an interesting story on the RIAA’s continuing view that ripping your own CDs is stealing.

This is, of course, even though you are making a digital copy of something you have already purchased, so that it can be played on your own computer or digital music player, something that is now common to just about anyone that owns a computer, likes music, and buys CDs.

According to ArsTechnica, the case revolves around Atlantic v. Howell, with Atlantic on the RIAA’s side, and Howell being Jeffery and Pamela Howell, who are representing themselves without a lawyer.

Apparently a music piracy investigation outfit called SafeNet discovered ‘evidence of file sharing over the KaZaA network’ on the Howell’s computer, and the RIAA decided to sue them.

The Howells insist that any mp3’s on their computer were for private use, to be transferred to their own mp3 players, and not for file sharing.

The head of litigation from Sony BMG, Jammie Thomas, was reported by ArsTechnica as saying that during the trial, in answer to a question of “whether it was wrong for consumers to make copies of CDs they have purchased”, Jennifer Pariser said: "When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song”.

Umm... Hello... Earth to Planet RIAA... Earth to Planet Sony... is there any intelligent life on either of these two planets? Let's not forget that another of Sony's divisions makes CD players and burners which, when used with third party software, such as iTunes or Windows Media Player, can rip music into mp3 format.

There are of course 'disclaimers' that warn users not to make unauthorised copies, even Apple says 'don't steal music' on the inner packaging of some iPods, and I am certainly not suggesting that you go out and steal music, be it from a store or a file sharing site. But not being able to make copies of your own music, in a world where such copying is simple and commonplace?

What happens next? Well, the answer isn't on page 2, because if I knew the answer I'd be a multi-zillionaire. But there's more on page 2 anyway, so why not click through...