You can copy, cut and paste etc, anything you want as long as it is considered to be in the area of general knowledge. However, that is different from a one of a kind creative works are writings and art. But you really will not get in much trouble unless you try and claim the work of others as your own.
I don’t see why downloading a song for free from the internet to put on my ipod is different from recording it off the radio.
I’ve always thought that radio waves are a public good and when you put something on the radio you are placing it in the public domain. I understand that I can’t use somebody’s music, art, etc. for profit, but I don’t really see why taking a song for my ipod is different from taking it from the radio. I can hear it all I want for free on the radio, why not get it free from the internet? Internet radio has basically the same function as p2p sharing. I could even choose to play one song over and over for free.
If I choose to video my neighbor shooting his fireworks that he bought, he can’t restrict me. As soon as he launches fireworks into the air, everyone around can see them, and he has no way to control that. I feel the same way about music. You release it on the radio waves and people can consume it for free (well, except the price of having to listen to commercials).
My wife is a musician and we benefit handsomely from CD sales. We can’t keep someone from ripping her CD and sharing it with friends after we have sold the CD. The problem with music companies is that 1. The product is obviously more expensive than what the market will bear and 2. The product is often sub-par with the exception of one or two songs on a CD.
If they really want to recapture the market, they would lower the price of a retail CD. I don’t think 99 cents is unreasonable for a single song, but they would sell more songs if they lowered their price.
/rant