Wipe your iPod before selling it, RIAA warns

The Register ^ | Monday 13th February 2006 | Tony Smith

[nickcarraway]

If you sell your iPod and don't remove your music first, you could find yourself with the Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA) breathing down your back. The organisation last week told sellers in the US that doing so is a clear violation of copyright law and warned them that it's sniffing out for infringers.

Apple's rapid iPod refresh schedule, not to mention those of its competitors, have generated a tide of old music player offers in classified ads columns and on sites like eBay. Rather too many sellers are shipping their old machines with music libraries intact - some we've seen even make a virtue of the fact.

But it's illegal, not only in the US but also in the UK and the rest of Europe. As, incidentally, is ripping all your CDs and LPs to MP3 then selling or even giving away the originals. By disposing of your physical media, you're ending your right to use the music they contain. The RIAA's point, made in an MTV online report (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1524099/20060209/story.jhtml) is that handing over music on a music player is no different from duplicating a CD and selling the copy.

The only way around the problem is to either erase the iPod, or make sure it ships with only copies of the music - downloads if that's how they were obtained, or the original physical media. And don't keep copies yourself.

[Bommer]

Wonder if the same applies to selling a video tape I recorded an HBO movie on and then sell it in a garage sale?

[sono]

They'll have to pry my IPOD from my cold dead hands.

[beltfed308]

How would the RIAA even know who the original owner of the i-pod was?

[ClearCase_guy]

It's stuff like this that will force a complete re-think of intellectual property rights. You can't set up an infinite series of hoops and then expect customers to jump through them all. When it is too hard to adhere to the law, people cease to try.

[HamiltonJay]

BULL.. If I buy music legally.. I can sell that music to another person... just like I can sell my CD's or Tapes WITH my stereo... RIAA can kiss my butt.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Who in REAL LIFE is going to do this?

[mnehring]

The only way around the problem is to either erase the iPod, or make sure it ships with only copies of the music - downloads if that's how they were obtained, or the original physical media. And don't keep copies yourself.

And they expect us to remember which of the 5,000+ songs we burned versus downloaded years after the fact?

[Recovering_Democrat]

BULL.. If I buy music legally.. I can sell that music to another person... just like I can sell my CD's or Tapes WITH my stereo... RIAA can kiss my butt.

So you're saying you'll think about it.

[ShadowAce]

[nickcarraway]

If you buy a CD, the download it to your iPod, the lose it, ahve you committed a felony to the RIAA?

[D-Chivas]

Maybe the RIAA should do something about Payola. Or those contract that turn musicians into indentured servants to the major labels.

[Recovering_Democrat]

SELL THE iPOD,
GIVE the music away for free!

[OB1kNOb]

Recording Industry Ass. of America

They forgot "hole".

[AbeKrieger]

Come enforce it with all the $$$ that entails to chase down every single iPod, MP3 player, and computer owner.

Here's one for you... I crash my hard drive so I can no longer read the data. I buy a new one and restore my MP3 files from whatever backup I may have. Now someone else obtains my failed hard drive and uses a recovery tool to extract the information.

Now what?

[Puppage]

How would the RIAA even know who the original owner of the i-pod was?

Tha's a damn good question. Original Apple registration, perhaps?

[Grit]

Wonder if the same applies to selling a video tape I recorded an HBO movie on and then sell it in a garage sale?

Yes, it does.

[Red Badger]

....I recorded an HBO movie on and then sell it in a garage sale?

You have the right to remain silent..........

[Termite_Commander]

Now what?

Firing squad.

[stainlessbanner]

ping