Legal Concern About Music Downloads/Sharing

[fryke]

The music industry is investing tons of money to protect their stuff. Sony shows, they're even ready to break the law while doing it. It's pathetic, really. They should invest the money towards a way out of the problem and towards better quality of content and marketing, but I think they just don't get it.

 

[JackRepenning]

Huh? CDs released that will damage your CD/DVD player? Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?

Sony has released several CD's formatted in ways that were intended to prevent (what they view as) illegal copying. But since there's no official "prevent copying this disc" function defined for CDs, they had to invent incredibly cute tricks to achieve this, and all of them have had horrible, doubtless unexpected, side effects. Try a Google of "sony 'copy protection'", or start with these links:

New copy-protection troubles for Sony

Sticky Tape Defeats Sony DRM Copy Protection

Dang! In creating that list of links for you, I see that at least the most recent version has NOT been withdrawn--Sony offers you
an OS patch
that they developed that supposedly fixes the problems they caused, but they aren't pulling the disks! So, sorry about that, I have to retract my earlier statement: it is NOT true that all such disk have been withdrawn! Some of the are, apparently still in stores!

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Also remember that when buying CDs, if the case bears a "CD logo" ( http://images.google.com/imgres?img...images?q=cd+logo&hl=en&lr=&oi=imagesr&start=2 ), then you can be assured that the CD does not bear any kind of copy protection. Only CDs that adhere to a strict audio CD format can bear that logo, and currently, the rules that govern that format don't allow for copy protection at this time.

Just because a CD doesn't bear that logo doesn't necessarily mean that it's copy protected, though -- it's up to the artist/label whether they want to display it or not.

If the logo is present on the CD or packaging, the CD will not be copy protected.

If the logo is not present on the CD or packaging, the CD may or may not be copy protected.

Just a nifty little sign to keep your eye out for when shopping for CDs.

 

[Amie]

Sony has released several CD's formatted in ways that were intended to prevent (what they view as) illegal copying. But since there's no official "prevent copying this disc" function defined for CDs, they had to invent incredibly cute tricks to achieve this, and all of them have had horrible, doubtless unexpected, side effects. Try a Google of "sony 'copy protection'", or start with these links:

New copy-protection troubles for Sony

Sticky Tape Defeats Sony DRM Copy Protection

Dang! In creating that list of links for you, I see that at least the most recent version has NOT been withdrawn--Sony offers you
an OS patch
that they developed that supposedly fixes the problems they caused, but they aren't pulling the disks! So, sorry about that, I have to retract my earlier statement: it is NOT true that all such disk have been withdrawn! Some of the are, apparently still in stores!

Ohhh ... wow. I had no idea. That's really sick. As soon as I read your post about Sony, I immediately checked my CDs (I bought a tower of 20 a few months ago and couldn't remember which brand I'd bought--I was terrified that it was Sony!). But, alas, they are TDK brand. I guess I don't have to worry about damaging my CD/DVD player. Whew!

And thanks for the tip about Sony. Since reading about it, I've chosen not to purchase any Sony products whatsoever. (Sony people, I hope you're reading this, you bunch of idiots.) That's pretty bogus and unprofessional of them to do. It's a shame, too, 'cause I was considering purchasing a pair of Sony earphones and maybe a Sony jump drive. Ah well. Their loss.

 

[nixgeek]

Yeah, I have one of the CDs that were listed on the EFF site (Switchfoot: Nothing is Sound). It's a good album, but I was disappointed that Sony did this on this particular CD. From what I've read online, Switchfoot wasn't too happy with the method of piracy protection either.

 

[Amie]

Also remember that when buying CDs, if the case bears a "CD logo" ( http://images.google.com/imgres?img...images?q=cd+logo&hl=en&lr=&oi=imagesr&start=2 ), then you can be assured that the CD does not bear any kind of copy protection. Only CDs that adhere to a strict audio CD format can bear that logo, and currently, the rules that govern that format don't allow for copy protection at this time.

Just because a CD doesn't bear that logo doesn't necessarily mean that it's copy protected, though -- it's up to the artist/label whether they want to display it or not.

If the logo is present on the CD or packaging, the CD will not be copy protected.

If the logo is not present on the CD or packaging, the CD may or may not be copy protected.

Just a nifty little sign to keep your eye out for when shopping for CDs.

My TDK CDs have a logo on the actual CD (not sure about the case--I don't have that with me at the moment), which reads: Compact Disc Recordable. Is that good or bad?

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Amie, I think you're thinking of recordable media -- what I was referring to was store-bought music CDs, not recordable media. Recordable media does not have any kind of DRM or protection to it at all -- music CDs from artists, though, may or may not be protected.

If you see this logo on any music CD from an artist in a store, it's guaranteed NOT to have any kind of DRM or protection on the disc:

 

[Amie]

Yeah, I have one of the CDs that were listed on the EFF site (Switchfoot: Nothing is Sound). It's a good album, but I was disappointed that Sony did this on this particular CD. From what I've read online, Switchfoot wasn't too happy with the method of piracy protection either.

Ohhh ... you guys were talking about professional CDs from artists? I totally misunderstood what you were saying. I thought you were talking about blank CDs that you buy to record things *onto* not *off of.* Sorry, my bad!

 

[Amie]

Amie, I think you're thinking of recordable media -- what I was referring to was store-bought music CDs, not recordable media. Recordable media does not have any kind of DRM or protection to it at all -- music CDs from artists, though, may or may not be protected.

Yeah, I just figured that out from Nixgeek's post. LOL

If you see this logo on any music CD from an artist in a store, it's guaranteed NOT to have any kind of DRM or protection on the disc:

And that's a good thing, right? So, when purchasing CDs I want to make sure I buy one with that logo on it, correct?

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Yup -- that logo signified that the CD adheres to strict guidelines that make it a true "Digital Audio Compact Disc." Currently, those guidelines do not provide for copy protection, meaning if any copy protection was used on the CD, it would not be able to display that logo because it's not a true "Digital Audio Compact Disc."

Keep in mind, though, that just because a CD doesn't bear that logo does not mean that it's copy protected. It's up to the artist/label on whether or not to display that logo, so you could very well have a non-copy protected CD that does not display that logo. But, if you do find the logo, the CD will not be copy protected.

 

[Uduckhead]

I don't want to spark a debate about how the RIAA is greedy and music sharing should be this and shouldn't be that, but think if you created something -- a piece of software, for instance. Someone purchased it for $15, then copied it and gave it to 20 friends. You made $15 for supplying 21 people with the software -- not fair, right? You should have been paid $15 x 21, not $15 x 1. It gets harder to wrap your head around this idea when the artists complaining about those extra free 20 copies are already making a million dollars a year, but that's how it is on both a large and small scale. You get paid for every person/household that wants your goods, and not just a few that paid for it and shared it to the rest.

The only thing wrong with that logic is that not everyone of those 21 people would have bought the album if it had not been free. I actually physically BUY a huge majority of the albums I really want...if I ever consider downloading it would be something that I wouldn't have spent my money on either way.

 

[Thank The Cheese]

the fact is apps like the old Napster and Limewire actually help the industry, because people download music by aristists they otherwise would never have heard. They play it at a party or in the car with friends and someone asks "who are these guys?". Finally, they go out and buy their album, or a couple MP3s through iTunes.

Radio works the same way, sure, (and doesn't require soemone to pirate music), but radio plays only the latest music that fits in their narrow range of style(s) they play. The independant, or older, or off-beat music gets thrown away and no one hears it.

Do you remember how the sales of CDs dropped considerably when Napster was taken down?

Fact is a LOT of people don't have enough tech-knowledge to download an MP3, let alone burn it to a disc. So when their tech-savvy friends introduce them to a great new band, these non-tech people will buy it, not download it. Not to say tech people DON"T buy CDs - because they do - but the RIAA acts like everyone is stealing it 100% of the time, when it's simply not the case.

 

[Amie]

the fact is apps like the old Napster and Limewire actually help the industry, because people download music by aristists they otherwise would never have heard. They play it at a party or in the car with friends and someone asks "who are these guys?". Finally, they go out and buy their album, or a couple MP3s through iTunes.

Radio works the same way, sure, (and doesn't require soemone to pirate music), but radio plays only the latest music that fits in their narrow range of style(s) they play. The independant, or older, or off-beat music gets thrown away and no one hears it.

Do you remember how the sales of CDs dropped considerably when Napster was taken down?

Fact is a LOT of people don't have enough tech-knowledge to download an MP3, let alone burn it to a disc. So when their tech-savvy friends introduce them to a great new band, these non-tech people will buy it, not download it. Not to say tech people DON"T buy CDs - because they do - but the RIAA acts like everyone is stealing it 100% of the time, when it's simply not the case.

Very well said! I couldn't agree more.

I do wonder, though: Why was Napster taken down and "abolished," yet Limewire is still going strong and perfectly "legal"? They are both P2P programs used for similar purposes.

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

I do wonder, though: Why was Napster taken down and "abolished," yet Limewire is still going strong and perfectly "legal"? They are both P2P programs used for similar purposes.

Because Napster used a centralized database that you connected to, which listed all the songs available and the servers (other people) you could get them from. The server was set up specifically for MP3 and audio files of copyrighted music (and uncopyrighted, but that made up a fraction of the total Napster traffic). Basically, blatantly helping distribute copyrighted music.

Limewire and other Gnutella-based P2P apps don't use a centralized server with a list of files -- rather, each server (individual people) "announce" what files they've got. In order to find them, your Limewire continually scans IP ranges for broadcasts on a certain point. In this scenario, the responsibility to obey the law lies with each individual person, whether they're giving or receiving.

If a service doesn't promote illegal activity, it's hard to shut it down. Gnutella-based applications get around this nicely by having each individual take responsibility for what they share and receive.

 

[Thank The Cheese]

These days, my favourite way to discover new music is through Pandora. Fantastic, legal, and free!

I will literally have Pandora and iTunes Music Store open side-by-side and buy whatever music is good. Unfortunately there are many holes in the Australian Store, which is what leads to piracy.

I forget who it was, but I remember someone saying "if it's not on iTMS - you can pirate it" in a TWiT podcast. lol