Get real. The RIAA is going after people who obtain or copy music illegally. They aren't going after people "just listening to music at home."
Nobody has an automatic right to own copies of copyrighted music for which they haven't paid.
Artists have a right to control the licensing of their copyrighted material.
Copyrighted music is property. Conservatives have huge measures of respect for others' property. Respect it or be prepared to suffer the consequences.
What about when the intent of copyright law is destroyed by ensuring those copyrights never expire? What about the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act which basically guarantees nothing will ever be placed in the public domain again?
"The RIAA is going after people who obtain or copy music illegally."
They are only going after people who are distributing music and/or making it available for copying.
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"Nobody has an automatic right to own copies of copyrighted music for which they haven't paid."
Yes you do. If you copy a song off commercial radio, no problem.
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"Artists have a right to control the licensing of their copyrighted material."
...which should be limited to 17 years before it becomes public domain, just like US Patents.
Okay, question. Bought a computer from a guy at a garage sale about 3 years ago. On this computer are some songs (I think MP3 files about which I am mostly clueless). If I click on them, they play the song. I have 28 of them in a folder. Should I delete them? Thanks in advance.
Your points regarding copyright are correct. However, I dispute the notion that copyright protection voids the legal rights of an individual that the RIAA decides to target. See my post 116.
I do feel that even though they have the right to protect their material, the solution is not the present approach. Being in the right will not protect the industry from changes in technology. They must figure ways to adapt and cash in on these changes. Suing the crap out of a lot of people is not going to further their long term interests.
Friend of my stepped in front of a car that was supposed to yield the right of way to the pedestrian. The car almost didn't stop. His rational was that he had the legal right of way at that intersection. My comment was, yep you are right. You could very well be dead right. Is it worth it?
The RIAA is not going to win the war this way.
I copied all of my CDs into my iTunes to put on my iPod. My favorite Creedence CD would no longer copy, so I went to iTunes and bought it from them, downloaded it and off I went.
Then my computer died. I bought a new computer and started copying ALL of my CDs again (yes, I've burned them off to DVD this time, so if it takes another crap I'm covered). Where was the CCR I'd bought from iTunes? Gone. No, you cannot download it again. My e-books were also gone - they tie them to the computer somehow (MAC address perhaps?).
No, I'll never buy e-music or books again. I re-read my books (at least the good ones) and computers WILL die upon occasion.
So, my question is - how about a right to music that I paid for and they won't let me download again?