Legal & Ethical Questions in the PC Audio Age

Legally you cannot sell your CDs once you rip them if you retain the copies you made.

-RW-

Legally, in the extremely unlikely event a record company came after you, you'd want to be able to prove you 'owned' the cd.

The downside risk here is negligible, but FWIW, having the cd is good proof you own it. Sales receipts and the like *might* also work.

Morally, the one thing you shouldn't do is make a perfect copy of your cd and then sell it or give it away.

I think it's generally held that you're buying a license to use the music contained on a given cd. If you pass that cd onto somebody else, you're passing on the license.

I'm very much on the side of fair use - and opposed to the draconian record company policies that produced DRM, prosecution of customers, etc. - but selling a cd you're keeping as a digital copy is a classic case of having your cake and keeping it too.'

Scott Atkinson
Watertown NY

So, really, you shouldn't even give them away if you've made a perfect copy.

You could just send them to me Dan......I won't tell anyone...honest.

Cheers,
John

So, really, you shouldn't even give them away if you've made a perfect copy

Absolutley NOT. This is a criminal act. On one hand sharing somem favorites with a friend is no big deal - but giving away an entire collection worth thousands of dollars and keeping a copy for yourself is a CRIME, it is illegal.

This is just as bad as taking CD's from the public library and copying them at home. It is illegal.

One of the reasons we are in such a huge financial crisis right now has a lot to do with ethics, IMHO!

I am no industry insider but I support our music industry and am against pirate copies.