» Home   » About

Marcus Kazmierczak

Music, What's legal?

Date: Aug 7, 2004

Here are a few scenarios with music and mp3s, what is legal or not?


  1. Buy physical CD, rip to MP3 and copy to iPod to listen to.

  2. Buy physical CD, rip to MP3 and give physical CD to friend.

  3. Buy physical CD, rip to MP3 for backup. Physical CD is stolen, burn new CD from MP3 backup.

  4. Buy on-line MP3, burn to CD to listen to in car.

  5. Buy physical CD, dislike the album, give CD to friend.

  6. Buy on-line MP3, dislike the song, give MP3 to friend.

  7. Buy on-line MP3, computer crashes. Download, free, MP3 to replace lost version.

  8. Buy physical CD. Physical CD gets stolen. Download, free MP3 to replace stolen CD.



It is my understanding there is a difference between Music and Software. Buying software you normally buy a license to use that software. So once bought, almost everything above is legal since you bought the right to use that software not necessarily the physical CD that it comes on. So if the original is stolen, you can legally use your backup. Is this the case for Music?