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Wingdrops · 02-04-2002, 07:51 PM

It is my understanding that legally you are entitled to make a copy for your own use of ANY vinyl album you own, whether or not it is also available on CD. Similarly, it is legal to copy a CD or vinyl to a cassette for your own private noncommercial use. It is perfectly legal to tape a movie on cable or TV for your own use, and the same applies to songs on the radio. It is also legal to figure out the words, chords or scoring of a song and write them down for your own use. Part of the reason for the legality of such uses is that the artist is already receiving royalties (e.g. from the TV or radio station each time the song is played, whether or not anyone listens).

Now, if you borrow someone else's CD and burn a copy for your own use, that might be a problem (with penalties up to $10,000 or more), although the risk of being caught is very low except in situations of copying in volume. The problem is less severe if you already own the identical material in another medium and have simply made a copy for your own convenience. If you burn a copy to sell or distribute, or for commercial use (e.g., in a jukebox), that is DEFINITELY a problem. I handled a fair number of cases where bars and taverns were showing cable TV shows or sporting events in their establishments without paying commercial royalties. These businesses are making a profit due, in part, to the appropriated material, so it is not a "non-commercial use."

That's my understanding of the legalities inherent in this stuff. I should add the lawyer's caution that some of the above examples have not been tested yet in the courts, and instead are merely the extrapolations of rulings in similar cases. I should also note that this should not be used as formal legal advice, because there may be local laws which supplement the federal laws in this case (although I don't think so).

The moralities of the issue are another matter altogether. IMO, the artist deserves new royalties whenever he/she releases the material in a new format. So even if I were to obtain a bootleg burn of one of the Final Four, I would buy the album again when formally issued on CD. I feel it would be a moral obligation to do so, evem more so when Gord is involved.

Finally, I also would rather that the Final Four be issued than just another re-compilation of material we already have. Nevertheless, I'm sure that remastering will add to the quality of the new Greatest Hits CDs, and it will be nice to get some of the songs on Gord's Gold and GG2 in a compilation of the original releases, rather than the redone versions on those albums.

2Much2Lose

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"And the laughter came too easy for life to pass me by."

02-04-2002, 07:51 PM	#13
Wingdrops Senior Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Salem, Oregon, U.S.A. Posts: 110	It is my understanding that legally you are entitled to make a copy for your own use of ANY vinyl album you own, whether or not it is also available on CD. Similarly, it is legal to copy a CD or vinyl to a cassette for your own private noncommercial use. It is perfectly legal to tape a movie on cable or TV for your own use, and the same applies to songs on the radio. It is also legal to figure out the words, chords or scoring of a song and write them down for your own use. Part of the reason for the legality of such uses is that the artist is already receiving royalties (e.g. from the TV or radio station each time the song is played, whether or not anyone listens). Now, if you borrow someone else's CD and burn a copy for your own use, that might be a problem (with penalties up to $10,000 or more), although the risk of being caught is very low except in situations of copying in volume. The problem is less severe if you already own the identical material in another medium and have simply made a copy for your own convenience. If you burn a copy to sell or distribute, or for commercial use (e.g., in a jukebox), that is DEFINITELY a problem. I handled a fair number of cases where bars and taverns were showing cable TV shows or sporting events in their establishments without paying commercial royalties. These businesses are making a profit due, in part, to the appropriated material, so it is not a "non-commercial use." That's my understanding of the legalities inherent in this stuff. I should add the lawyer's caution that some of the above examples have not been tested yet in the courts, and instead are merely the extrapolations of rulings in similar cases. I should also note that this should not be used as formal legal advice, because there may be local laws which supplement the federal laws in this case (although I don't think so). The moralities of the issue are another matter altogether. IMO, the artist deserves new royalties whenever he/she releases the material in a new format. So even if I were to obtain a bootleg burn of one of the Final Four, I would buy the album again when formally issued on CD. I feel it would be a moral obligation to do so, evem more so when Gord is involved. Finally, I also would rather that the Final Four be issued than just another re-compilation of material we already have. Nevertheless, I'm sure that remastering will add to the quality of the new Greatest Hits CDs, and it will be nice to get some of the songs on Gord's Gold and GG2 in a compilation of the original releases, rather than the redone versions on those albums. 2Much2Lose ------------------ "And the laughter came too easy for life to pass me by."