Buffalo Boy's Blog
Giving You More Than Just My Two Cents
New Ipod Laws in the Great White North
You walk into a record store like Borders Books and Music, Barnes and Nobles, Best Buy or one of those mass media/electronics music stores and you purchase a new CD. You take it home wanting to rip it to MP3 to use on your personal Ipod and you can't. Its coded and if you try to break it or are successful in doing so there is a $20,000 fine in it for you.
That is what the conservative government of Canada proposes to do if someone is caught downloading a CD or DVD to their computer even for personal use. Mike Boon posted on this today and for someone like me who has ripped over 6500 songs onto his Ipod and someone like Mike who has displayed his MP3s on his website, its scary.
I hope the US doesn't get a hold of this idea. It would simply not be fair to consumers. When I buy a CD or DVD I have a right to copy it for personal use however I want to. If I want to copy it to MP3, cassette, a blank CD, as long as I am not selling it for a profit, what does the federal government care what I do with it? Good luck peoples to the north, fight this one so we can show that it wasn't a good idea here too.
Go Canada!!! First time I have ever said that. Good for them! I will be moving there after our next election. They should fine them $20,000 or more. Music is not free. The musicians need to make a living. If you steal their property you should be fined. Apple, IBM, Microsoft do not rule the the planet. If you like a song go to a music store and buy the CD. If you can't afford the CD listen to the radio and hope they play it. I can see it coming. Music insurance.
You are a socialist. You should like this. The govt. will make you feel better. Let them continue to control your thoughts.
No Betsy I am not a socialist, I believe that there are certain things that we should have a right to. Healthcare being cheap and affordable is one of them as well as a decent living wage. I also think that energy should be controlled somewhat by the government. Some of it already is, Utilities are including your electric and gas bills are all regulated.
Fire and Police are both socialized, healthcare should be one of those that is.
Otherwise I just want my politicians to make sense and this law they are trying to pass in Canada makes no sense. It hurts the consumer.
Ben, no one was saying that music should be free, if you BUY THE CD YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO WITH IT WHAT YOU WANT!!!! Thats the whole point. They want to regulate what you do after the CD is bought. When I go to the store, buy a CD they are saying I cannot rip it to MP3 for my personal IPOD. Therefore, I would have to get it in both formats.....At least thats the way Im reading the article. Go to Mike Boons site and read his entry maybe it will make more sense or go read the article, in the mean time, hope this doesn't trickle down to the US cause that would suck. Who would even attempt to regulate something like that the FCC?
Right now, every CD I own is on my Itunes and in my Ipod, as long as I use it for me why is that not okay?