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Ripping CDs can be unlawful
September 16, 2008 – 8:22 pm by Lance MichalsonMany of us convert audio CDs we have bought from their native CD-DA format to MP3 or some other compressed audio format . The act of converting CDs is commonly known as “ripping” - when the term was coined, it had a perverse meaning. Many loved the idea they were “ripping off” the music industry by making copyrighted works available in a compact format that could be quickly downloaded over the Internet.
The CD is the physical embodiment of the song or concert and many people think that because they own the CD, especially if purchased in a store, that they can make copies of the CD. It is, however, technically illegal to do this.
The law grants authors the exclusive right to (i) make copies of their works and (ii) the recording of the song. Therefore, in principle, it is unlawful to make a copy of a sound recording without the permission of the relevant authors involved. There is an exception to this general rule:
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