RIAA

So, now the RIAA has a new novel idea about how to infringe on our rights when we buy CDs etc. It now claims that you do not actually have the right to back-up your CDs via your computer and then put them onto your iPod etc. Apparently, it thinks that if you want a digital copy of a song you ought to buy it off of iTunes or some such, and if you want it in the form of a CD you ought to buy the CD too.

Somehow, I think this is a bit contradictory seeing as Mr Don Verrilli just told the Supreme court that:

"The record companies, my clients, have said, for some time now, and it's been on their website for some time now, that it's perfectly lawful to take a CD that you've purchased, upload it onto your computer, put it onto your iPod."

So yeah, now we get to re-buy everything. Oh right, and they also aparently think that if a CD is damaged "replacents are readily available at affordable prices"... So yeah. We now get to pay for things truely multiple times - we must pay for it on CD, in digital format, and if something gets broken, we have to re-buy... because they are "readily available" and "affordable"...


Anyhow more info below:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060215-6190.html

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004409.php