Three Day Delay

Are full, anauthorized MP3s fully illegal? Obviously Napster has gotten the wrist-slap, and the trade sites are shut down more often than not, but has it been determined that posting and/or trading is illegal?

palebluedot

Yes it is illegal to post/share/download/distribute copyrighted material if it is not permitted.

KnightLerxst

MP3s are not illegal. The trade is. I can make as many MP3's of songs I own as I want. Fair use.

Three Day Delay

Is this law yet, or is it still being decided?

KnightLerxst

In regards to what? If you mean the trading well then it has been illegal for a long time. I mean taping an album for a friend and giving it to him is illegal, and the transfer of a copy of a copyrighted work is illegal.

But you can make a tape for yourself, or in this case an mp3.

Save Ferris

Actually i think there is an act that ALLOWS you to share songs that you taped off of your album (that you purchased) and give them (at no profit) to a friend or family member. That is what napster and others were counting on more than anything -- thats how they had the balls to offer music trading.

The courts ruled that the people who end up with the recordings arent "Friends OR family members" per se.

Jackskeleton

The bad comes when you are gaining a profit out of the trade or exchange of the music.

Look at ebay. you see many auctions going by of bootlegged videos by simply stating that the auction is for a pencil... but you get a free copy of "ocean's 11" or whatever.

I figure that aslong as your not making some sort of profit (but yes, trading would be profitting off it, since you yourself gain something for someone's copy righted work)