Is this legal?

[LotusCarsLtd]

I recently got a cell phone that can play music and I wanted to transfer some of the music from my CD’s onto my phone.

Now the music would be solely for personal use and would not be sold or transfered to another person in any way, shape, or form. It would simply be transfered from one medium to another for personal use.

Is this legal vis-a-vis copyright laws?

 

[bpbasilphx]

I don’t think you’d be likely to be prosecuted, even if it were an actual technical violation.

 

[MarieVeronica]

I recently got a cell phone that can play music and I wanted to transfer some of the music from my CD’s onto my phone.

Now the music would be solely for personal use and would not be sold or transfered to another person in any way, shape, or form. It would simply be transfered from one medium to another for personal use.

Is this legal vis-a-vis copyright laws?

Lotus… you and I are TWO of a kind! I worry about these things too. I love to collect clip art off the internet, and I always TRY to collect from “free” sites. But so many questions arise as to “public domain” and copyright… etc. I can drive myself nuts with it! Is this one Ok… is that one Ok? Eeeeesh! :banghead:

However, in your case… I THINK what you want to do is fine… because you have purchased the CD for your OWN personal use. And as long as you aren’t planning on making pirate copies, for sale… or some such thing (which I’m sure you’re NOT… because you’re asking if it’s ok to copy the CD! ). This is sort of like, burning a CD to a computer… isn’t it? Kind of the same thing.

I hope that someone with better information responds. But my “gut” feeling is… it’s ok. Hope this helps.

God bless and Happy New Year :snowing:

 

[LotusCarsLtd]

However, in your case… I THINK what you want to do is fine… because you have purchased the CD for your OWN personal use. And as long as you aren’t planning on making pirate copies, for sale… or some such thing (which I’m sure you’re NOT… because you’re asking if it’s ok to copy the CD! ). This is sort of like, burning a CD to a computer… isn’t it? Kind of the same thing.

I hope that someone with better information responds. But my “gut” feeling is… it’s ok. Hope this helps.

This is what I found on the RIAA’s website:

*Copying CDs

It’s okay to copy music onto an analog cassette, but not for commercial purposes.

It’s also okay to copy music onto special Audio CD-R’s, mini-discs, and digital tapes (because royalties have been paid on them) – but, again, not for commercial purposes.

**Beyond that, there’s no legal “right” to copy the copyrighted music on a CD onto a CD-R. However, burning a copy of CD onto a CD-R, or transferring a copy onto your computer hard drive or your portable music player, won’t usually raise concerns so long as:

—The copy is made from an authorized original CD that you legitimately own

—The copy is just for your personal use. It’s not a personal use – in fact, it’s illegal – to give away the copy or lend it to others for copying.**

The owners of copyrighted music have the right to use protection technology to allow or prevent copying.
Remember, it’s never okay to sell or make commercial use of a copy that you make.*

(From the RIAA: Piracy: Online and On The Street: The Law, under the heading “Copying CDs”

riaa.com/physicalpiracy.php?content_selector=piracy_online_the_law)

Now note the bolded section; it says that there is no “legal right” to copy CDs for personal use and that transfering music to, say, a portable music player “won’t usually raise concerns” as long as we follow those guidelines. Would it still be morally acceptable to transfer music, then, onto a flash drive and onto a cell phone for personal listening and use?

 

[ThatGuy]

last I heard was that you could make 1 extra copy for “archival purposes” but that was a while ago. I copy my CDs onto my mp3 player then the disks go on the shelf for storage. Not really sure though.

 

[rpp]

This is what I found on the RIAA’s website:

*Copying CDs

It’s okay to copy music onto an analog cassette, but not for commercial purposes.

It’s also okay to copy music onto special Audio CD-R’s, mini-discs, and digital tapes (because royalties have been paid on them) – but, again, not for commercial purposes.

**Beyond that, there’s no legal “right” to copy the copyrighted music on a CD onto a CD-R. However, burning a copy of CD onto a CD-R, or transferring a copy onto your computer hard drive or your portable music player, won’t usually raise concerns so long as:

—The copy is made from an authorized original CD that you legitimately own

—The copy is just for your personal use. It’s not a personal use – in fact, it’s illegal – to give away the copy or lend it to others for copying.***

The owners of copyrighted music have the right to use protection technology to allow or prevent copying.
Remember, it’s never okay to sell or make commercial use of a copy that you make.

(From the RIAA: Piracy: Online and On The Street: The Law, under the heading “Copying CDs”

riaa.com/physicalpiracy.php?content_selector=piracy_online_the_law)

Now note the bolded section; it says that there is no “legal right” to copy CDs for personal use and that transfering music to, say, a portable music player “won’t usually raise concerns” as long as we follow those guidelines. Would it still be morally acceptable to transfer music, then, onto a flash drive and onto a cell phone for personal listening and use?

I think what this means is that you can rip your CD onto your computer and copy it to your iPod, phone or some other MP3 player for your own personal use, you cannot share the music with others or give others a copy. HOWEVER, if you give away or sell the CD, you must destroy the electronic copies on your computer and player device. Thus I believe if you follow these guidelines, that this is morally acceptable.

 

[AHapka]

This is what I found on the RIAA’s website:
***Beyond that, there’s no legal “right” to copy the copyrighted music on a CD onto a CD-R. However, burning a copy of CD onto a CD-R, or transferring a copy onto your computer hard drive or your portable music player, won’t usually raise concerns so long as: ***Now note the bolded section; it says that there is no “legal right” to copy CDs for personal use and that transfering music to, say, a portable music player “won’t usually raise concerns” as long as we follow those guidelines. Would it still be morally acceptable to transfer music, then, onto a flash drive and onto a cell phone for personal listening and use?

I wouldn’t necissarily draw all of your advice from the RIAA’s website. The law allows fair use.

The broadcasting industry took Sony to court in the early 1980’s because they felt that recording television programs using your VCR to watch later (obviously personal use, not commercial) was copyright infringement. The lost at the Supreme Court.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Corp._of_America_v._Universal_City_Studios,_Inc.

Consistent with this opinion, I think copying from one format to another is completely moral and does not violate copyright law. You already paid loyalties for the work, you are just copying it to a different medium.

The case law on all of this is interesting, and still developing.

 

[AHapka]

Ok, I found an exact statue making it legal:

USC Title 17, Chapter 10, Section 1008:

§ 1008—Prohibition on certain infringement actions
No action may be brought under this title alleging infringement of copyright based on the manufacture, importation, or distribution of a digital audio recording device, a digital audio recording medium, an analog recording device, or an analog recording medium, or based on the noncommercial use by a consumer of such a device or medium for making digital musical recordings or analog musical recordings.