Shoutbox

Hi there.

Recently, I started buying a lot more CDs and I've been questioning myself with the following :

Is it legal to rip CDs and load the tracks onto, say, an iPod (or for the sake of it, any other portable media player)? I do not intend to get searched in a near future up to the extent where they will check my mp3 player, but I really would like to know this. It is not like I am going to carry the discs around with me, but, on the other hand, I have no way of prooving I own this or that album.

Also, when I buy a CD I am entitled to the content on the disc and not on any other media format, so maybe this raises also a problem. Technology may have found a way to transform content but that does not mean (legally that is) that we are owners of such property, right?

So, bottom line, can I rip CDs to a portable media player or not?

Bottem line: it depends from country to country.

But indeed, in general, when you buy a CD you buy the right to listen to that music from the CD, nothing else! When you buy a CD you are indeed not the owner of the content; you do not buy the rights or licenses of ownership nor the rights to copy it, alter it (eg: converting it to another format, which is what happens when you put it on a media player), or whatever. You even don't buy the rights to play it in public! The legality of "copying it one time for your own use" highly depends on your local laws though.

In practice: I wouldn't be too worried if you just want to copy the music to your portable media player or whatever you wanna do with it for your own personal use. I never heared of someone being arrested because of that. However, be aware that, in theory, they could confiscate the player when you're travelling abroad.

Thank you for your input Cookie. This is an odd situation, I guess it could all be overcome by buying MP3 online from iTunes or Amazon, but at the same time I do enjoy having the CDs.

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
However, be aware that, in theory, they could confiscate the player when you're travelling abroad.

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That is one of my worries, I am going to the United States and I wondered how this all worked.

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Originally posted by Jhrono
That is one of my worries, I am going to the United States and I wondered how this all worked.

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I cross the border quite a few times per year, carrying my iPod, and I have never seen or heard of anyone being held for their iPod's content, only once where the person was a known pedophile and got arrested and searched, and they found something not really appropriate in his portable player. I have seen people who have been fined and lost their visas because they have illegal/pirated copies of CDs and DVDs.

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Originally posted by Voldemort

I cross the border quite a few times per year, carrying my iPod, and I have never seen or heard of anyone being held for their iPod's content, only once where the person was a known pedophile and got arrested and searched, and they found something not really appropriate in his portable player. I have seen people who have been fined and lost their visas because they have illegal/pirated copies of CDs and DVDs.

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Again, thanks for your post.

I see... Anyhow, I do not want to take any risks, even having bought all the CDs. I have been to the US once and had no problems, but still...

Anyhow, I will not really miss music that much, with so many stuff to see eheh.

it is legal to rip cds  if its for personal use i.e your mp3 player  though if you share them its iilegal.  anyways its nearly impossible to tell if a mp3 was gotten legally they would have to go through records  of purchases etc  which they most likely aren't going to do.

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Originally posted by vampy_valentine
it is legal to rip cds  if its for personal use i.e your mp3 player

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No!

This depends on your local law. It is a misconception that copying CDs (or anything else, like software) for you own use is always legal. It depends on where you live and it might even be different per product/cd.

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Originally posted by vampy_valentine
anyways its nearly impossible to tell if a mp3 was gotten legally they would have to go through records  of purchases etc  which they most likely aren't going to do.

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Unless you can prove you have bought the CDs. This can be done for example by carying the bills or whatever you got from the store. This also goes for other products. So, a golden tip: if you are going to bring stuff overseas, make sure you also have the cash tickets or anything else which might proof the product is yours (especially something with serial numbers on it would be a big help). This can also be a very big help in case something gets stolen.

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As for the ipod, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just know that it _could_ happen that they ask you if the ipod is yours and that it _could_ happen that they want to see/hear what's on it. But those chances are very very slim.