AS CHRISTIANS..HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT FILE SHARING?

[playhear]

Now, I believe we are all in agreement as far as the downloading of songs goes.  But, are you also saying that I am not allowed to rip a CD from my CD collection and give a copy to another person?  Every computer out there now can rip a CD and transfer it to another media.  If it is illegal to do this, then why the easy access

As a musician that plays a lot around my region, I have the opportunity to receive music that is needed for me to learn new material.  Now, according to my 'friend', he is not doing anything wrong because even though the music is copyrighted, he is issuing me the product because they send him multiple copies.  What I do is I just make a copy of them and on my own will, give them back because I really don't use CD's for playback, I use a MP3 CD and it is basically a file.  The CD cannot be used for everyday listening unless you have a MP3 CD player.  Is he right in his thinking?  I mean, if he owns multiple radio stations, he must know the law, right  :?:

1. The fact that copying tracks from a CD is easy access doesn't mean that doing so is legal. Stealing a bike is both easy and illegal. Obviously, ripping a track is not as bad as stealing a bike. I'm just trying to make a point. What if your friend had such a relationship with thousands of other people? Of course, copying a track for thousands of people would be illegal. So, where would the law draw the line? The answer is that the law draws the line at the first person, you. You just can't do it legally. If the owners (e.g., the record label) wanted to come after you, they could and would win. However, coming after individuals like you is economically impractical and poor business. Thus, if you want to keep copying the tracks, you have nothing to fear, unless you start getting greedy and sloppy.

2. Owning multiple radio stations does not necessarily make your friend knowledgeable about the law. If your friend gives you one of his legal copies, that’s legal. However, if you turn around and make a copy of his legal copy, what you did is illegal. Again, however, nobody’s going to come after you for reasons stated above.

[playhear]

DBG2k5, I need to add that I don't find what you're doing with your "friend" to be morally wrong. I'm merely talking about the law.

[DBG2k5]

Well, I need to know why does my computer, and your computer, and everyone else's computer have the capability to ILLEGALLY rip CD's?  Why do advertisers promote the fact that you can illegally rip your CD's?
I know it's easy to steal a bike.  That's why you buy a chain to prevent that.  There are no types of encryptions on CD's for you to NOT copy them.  DVD's rented from Blockbuster you cannot copy, but the DVD from Wal-Mart you can.  How is this possible?  Please understand that I am not trying to stir up trouble, but if it's illegal, then it shouldn't be easily accessible.

[playhear]

Well, I need to know why does my computer, and your computer, and everyone else's computer have the capability to ILLEGALLY rip CD's?  Why do advertisers promote the fact that you can illegally rip your CD's?
I know it's easy to steal a bike.  That's why you buy a chain to prevent that.  There are no types of encryptions on CD's for you to NOT copy them.  DVD's rented from Blockbuster you cannot copy, but the DVD from Wal-Mart you can.  How is this possible?  Please understand that I am not trying to stir up trouble, but if it's illegal, then it shouldn't be easily accessible.

Let me clarify something. The way you copy the tracks would probably be considered "fair use" as discussed in earlier posts. However, your case is so uncommon that it's not worth discussing here. In my earlier posts, I was speaking more toward the majority of people who rip tracks for the sake of letting others copy the tracks or for the sake of saving money by any means. If you rip your own tracks and store them on your computer for later listening or for jogging with your MP3 player, you would be practicing fair use. Manufacturers recognize such usage and encourage it.

Come on DBG2k5. I'm sure you can imagine how ripping tracks can get out of hand though, particularly since most people rip tracks to save some cash or to share with their buddies. You're just playing devil's advocate, right?

As for ripping DVD's from Blockbuster, rights holders have recognized that there's no readily apparent fair use for ripping their movies or videos. Accordingly, a DVD movie is typically embedded with encryption software to prevent any copying. Regarding the DVD’s from Walmart, I bet you happened to come across some DVD’s that don’t have encryption for whatever reason, but that’s not the norm. Regardless, I respectfully have to say here that your logic seems to be somewhat backwards. Just because two different vendors (Walmart and Blockbuster) have different encryption standards with products they sell, this doesn’t mean that all of a sudden it’s legal to copy DVD’s.

Also, recognize that copyright laws are hundreds of years old and are slow to change. So, sometimes the application of law to technology is awkward at best. The various nuances between technologies of DVD’s and CD's will undoubtedly put interesting spins on the application of law to technology. However, these nuances don't change the law.

[DBG2k5]

well, devil's advocate is something that will cause this thread to be locked.  Obviously, I was not sure as to what was legal and what is illegal.  I just wanted the best understanding so that I can protect myself next time I rip CD's.  In the beginning, I thought it was illegal to copy ANYTHING.  But now, I see the difference.  So thank you to everyone that contributed in the understanding I was looking for.