is it legal to download music if...

[worshipme]

Obviously downloading music is illegal, but if you actually own the CD, then I don't think it's morally wrong.

 

[Celegorm]

Morally it's fine. Legaly, you are supposed to buy a new copy.

 

[David Lindon]

Yes its fine, you bought a 'license' to listen to it via vinly,cassette,cd,paid download etc and if you lost it I believe you can download a copy.

I see lots of products for sale to transfer cassettes/cds to mp3 so if thats legal, why not just download a copy of the song in the first place?

 

[Jesusfrk611]

Obviously downloading music is illegal, but if you actually own the CD, then I don't think it's morally wrong.

I agree with this. While it's legally wrong, you already bought the CD, so you technically own it. The chances of them actually filing a lawsuit on you are kinda slim really. I say, if you really own the CD, but lost it, just d/l it...I would. I wouldn't spend another $10-$20 for a CD I already own.

 

[SoftwareBoy]

Limewire Owns
No Comment on legal issues

 

[Teny]

limewire sucks.....

 

[root]

Yes its fine, you bought a 'license' to listen to it via vinly,cassette,cd,paid download etc and if you lost it I believe you can download a copy.

I see lots of products for sale to transfer cassettes/cds to mp3 so if thats legal, why not just download a copy of the song in the first place?

you buy a cassette you're entitled to listen to a cassette, you can't just walk into a store and pick up your cassette back catalogue on CD and walk out without paying saying it's OK, I've already got a license to listen to this music.

also regardless of what products are sold, it is still illegal, (at least in the UK) to rip CD's to MP3.

I can't see them prosecuting you though if you have all the original CDs and you download some MP3s...

but I also can't see why you'd want to bother wasting your bandwidth when you could just rip your own CDs.

 

[Teny]

cuz its pain in the arse to go find and rip all my CDs. might take about the whole day if i tried.
i noticed that its legal for a person to buy a CD and rip it for there friends, and it will stay legal until they one who got the original started to charge them for burnt copies. Not sure if that is legal anymore. but if thats legal, then what about a friend uploading some songs into one of those sites that holds files and give you an URL to download?

 

[root]

it's not leagal for me to buy a CD and copy it so that all my friends can have it to whether I make a profit or not.

this is what the music industry would call a lost sale, (as they assume that without you giving it to your friends they'd have all liked it enough to buy it if they like it enough to get a free copy).

it's the same as ripping a CD and sharing mp3s...

it's still illegal.

 

[muz]

you buy a cassette you're entitled to listen to a cassette, you can't just walk into a store and pick up your cassette back catalogue on CD and walk out without paying saying it's OK, I've already got a license to listen to this music.

also regardless of what products are sold, it is still illegal, (at least in the UK) to rip CD's to MP3.

I can't see them prosecuting you though if you have all the original CDs and you download some MP3s...

but I also can't see why you'd want to bother wasting your bandwidth when you could just rip your own CDs.

You are allowed under law the right to make a necessary backup and it is now widely accepted that people intepret this to mean ripping it onto an MP3 player or their computer

going into the shop and just taking it off the shelf is theft whereas downloadg music from the internet is not theft

and thats besides the point you would not get prosecuted for downloading music as it is currently only a violation of civil copyright law and so the police would not be involved at all it would be for the music industry to bring a case against you
and as far as i can see the only cases brought both in america and the UK have been against uploaders or people making a buisiness from selling pirate dvd's which as far as i know is in fact a criminal offence and if they where going to bring a case against a downloader they would want to bring it against a downloader who had downloaded a considerable ammount of music otherwise the legal costs will actually far exceed the value of music stolen and make it uneconomical to sue so i dont think downllading a few albums will make you one of their targets