Legally Purchasing CD's and Get Sued for Violating Copyright Laws

Music has had such a big impact on society. Everyone seems to have an i-Pod in their hand whether they are exercising, driving, or just lounging around. People who purchase CDs and upload the music to their computer and eventually to their i-Pod, could face some legal problems in the future. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) no longer has its focus on suing illegal music downloaders, but users who upload music to their i-Pods from a CD.

Jeffrey Howell, an Arizona resident, has decided to go to court against the RIAA according to the Washington Post. His collection of over two thousand songs were all legally purchased and transferred to his computer. According to the RIAA, that is illegal despite Howell's purchase of all the songs. The RIAA maintains that copying the songs onto a blank CD is a direct violation. In a hypothetical situation, if you let someone borrow that CD that has songs from the CD, you are technically breaking the law. In addition, the RIAA states it will go after anyone who puts music that is bought onto music distribution sites. Despite, what some are calling absurd and ridiculous, it does however break copyright laws.

The RCIAA has been going after illegal downloaders of music for years since the Napster program. This problem for the music industry is rapidly growing as China enters into the global economy. It was estimated by the International Federation of Phonographic Industry that nearly ninety-five percent of music CDs bought in China were pirated.