Redstate

Posted at 9:38pm on Dec. 30, 2007 I guess that I won't be buying that iPod, then.

Did you hear that, Apple Computers? Steve? I said, "I GUESS THAT I WON'T BE BUYING THAT IPOD, THEN."

By Moe Lane

Hi. Do you own a MP3 player? Do you use it for car trips, gym visits, commutes, or just as a substitute for a rather bulky stereo system? Do you have any of your legally bought CDs on that MP3 player? WAIT! Don't answer that last one, because if the answer's "yes" and some lawyer for the RIAA sees it, they'll sue you for copyright infringement.

I am not making this up:

...In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer.

The industry's lawyer in the case, Ira Schwartz, argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the MP3 files Howell made on his computer from legally bought CDs are "unauthorized copies" of copyrighted recordings.

"I couldn't believe it when I read that," says Ray Beckerman, a New York lawyer who represents six clients who have been sued by the RIAA. "The basic principle in the law is that you have to distribute actual physical copies to be guilty of violating copyright. But recently, the industry has been going around saying that even a personal copy on your computer is a violation."

Via Glenn.

Read on.

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