If i own a legal copy of a song but cannot put it on my mp3 player, can i legally download the mp3 for personal use?

by Jayce Evans Posted 2009/12/10 22:23:38

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i have a bunch of tapes and records, and even some cd's that are so scratched i can't put them on my computer.

seeing as i LEGALLY own a copy of these songs, can i download the corresponding mp3 files from the internet without getting in trouble?

Robo Toaster 2009/12/11 23:11:27

Well, you can get the songs from a service like iTunes. That's the legal way to do it, but unfortunately you'll have to pay for the songs again. Also, there are special turntables that can convert records into MP3's. I think you can also convert cassette tapes into MP3s as well.

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Denise 2009/12/11 01:18:22

"Honest, officer, I *legally* own that Tiffany ring!"

Right?

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Jayce E... to Denise 2009/12/11 06:20:22

a tiffany ring is quite different that a song.
songs can be copied at will, whereas rings have to be individually made.

that's like the music artist having to re-record the song for each person who wants a copy of it.

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Denise to Jayce E... 2009/12/11 15:31:24

+1
The point is, no, no you can't *legally* do that.

But no one's saying anything if you want to download those songs.

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Jayce E... to Denise 2009/12/11 22:04:27

thanks for your reply.
and i think that's really stupid... i can completely understand the reason for this law, even though it's a little ridiculous, but i really do think there should be an exception for this.
again, thanks for your response.

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Denise to Jayce E... 2009/12/11 23:06:31

No problem.

iTunes is ridiculous, too. They charge "per download", which means you can't transfer your downloads to different computers.

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Chicken Licken 2009/12/10 23:31:51

Legally? No.

"can i download the corresponding mp3 files from the internet without getting in trouble?"
Probably.

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Eddie 2009/12/10 23:24:09

Nope. That's like saying I legally own a dollar, but it's torn in four pieces so I'll illegally take one from a bank.

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Jayce E... to Eddie 2009/12/11 06:21:59

i don't see how that's the same...
if i were to take a physical cd from a store to replace my scratched one, those are most definitely similar and i would completely agree with your point.

but songs can easily be copied without having to be "remade"

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paenitentia 2009/12/10 22:25:59

Dude, you can ILLEGALLY download them without getting in trouble. Too many people do it for everyone to be thrown in jail. But I'm not sure if that's legal, doesn't sound it though.

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Jayce E... to paenite... 2009/12/11 06:23:04

+1
i'd prefer to stay within the law. just in case.
because the people that actually do get caught, are in HUGE trouble. it's not just a slap on the wrist.

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Sting Idol 2009/12/10 22:25:27

Well, hardly anyone ever gets caught, sure it's ILLegal, but...it's your life, right?

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Jayce E... to Sting Idol 2009/12/11 06:23:44

but the people that actually do get caught, are in HUGE trouble. i'd prefer to stay within the law on this one.

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crownvi... to Jayce E... 2009/12/14 23:40:28

yea but the people who usually get caught have a huge number of songs that they got illegally, like several thousand

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