Legality of MP3's

[brandon184]

I'm arguing with this absolute moron, about the legality of MP3's.. They say MP3's, are completely legal, no matter what..

Can everyone here post every link they have that tell about why mp3's are not legal, and why...

News Topics, Resource Sites, Etc, Etc...

Thanks a bunch!

[This message has been edited by brandon184 (edited 04-29-2000).]

[RobRich]

Tell him to read the copyright agreement on the back of a cd case the next time he's in a record store.

This might also help, as I has links to several pages explaning current copyright laws:
http://www.mp3.com/my/news/yourmusic.html

[This message has been edited by RobRich (edited 04-29-2000).]

[oblivion]

MP3's are completly legal.....no matter what...............just like paper........................but it is the content of the MP3's that can be illegal,just like paper.

[neo_otyugh]

the technology is legal...what is recorded varies depending on the permissions gratned by the artist/label

[happyhamster]

I'm not a lawyer, so this is just my personal opinion based on some readings and common sense.

First, it depends what you mean by mp3. One meaning is simply file format, and as such is perfectly legal. Mp3 here stands for MPEG Audio Layer-3 compression (http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/mhiggins/my/mp3.htm) develped by the Moving Picture Experts Group(MPEG). How can a file format be illegal???

If you mean the actual recordings of copyrighted material, it may be less clear, but still most likely legal. You buy CD, and you have the right to dublicate it for personal purposes, or simply in case it breaks. People have been copying CD mucic to tapes to listen in their cars for years. When you buy music, you essentially buy the license to listen to these particular songs. How you listen to them is your decision. Some choose mp3 format as more convenient. The Recording Industry wants customers to believe they buy just a round piece of plastic. From what I know it's not so. It would be pretty good business selling round pieces of plastic for $15-20.

[alpha]

Most MP3s that are online are illeagal (unless u own the original copy). There are literaly 3000gb of hot mp3s flying around on napster. I think napster's down at the moment. I don't really care whether they're leagal or not.

[jad1097]

I read somewhere that any digital copy of CP protected music is illegal, but an analog copy is legal. I will see if I can find a link.

[AuraEdge]

does that mean u can make a copy of a cd onto tape and sell it to someone?
cuz that still feels illegal to me

[jad1097]

NO.
I just read that somewhere and can't remember where. I seem to remember that you could make an anolog copy for personal use but not a digital copy.

Here goes some info about copyright. http://united-trackers.org/resources/copyright/index.htm
BBS

[Biff]

I'm under the impression that if you own the cd you can make MP3's from it, but it's for your own personal use, and can't be sold!

[Dreamboat Annie]

This is definitely a very gray area! Quite frankly, I don't think that all "legality" issues involved with MP3's has even been defined by law yet, because of the newness and technical aspects of such technology. However, if I were to purchase a CD and encode that music into MP3 files, playing them on my own computer, mp3 player or burning my own CD (like a "best of" CD) for my own personal use, I don't think that that would be considered a copyright violation. It wouldn't be any different then recording a record album onto a cassette for my own use.