So Lazlo's a copyright lawyer?
I really don't think you could make 10,000 copies of Thriller and give
them away in front of Tower Records and hope to get away with it.
"Fair use" means FAIR use. You can copy something onto a mix tape for
your commute to work. You can back something up if you don't want to
damage the original copy. You can make copies and give them away to
demonstrate what something sounds like. You can quote people in articles
and use pictures of famous people in newspapers without their
permission. But not much more than that.
Besides, I don't think the RIAA has the power to decide what is
copyrightable and what is not. It seems a little too blatantly unfair
that the RIAA can make a deal to take away copyright protection from
every musical release in the US. Industry and government often collude
to fuck artists and citizens, but this seems a little too libertarian
for the feds.
If I make my own pressing of CD's, are you saying they are not subject
to copyright protection just because of some deal the RIAA made with the
US government? I doubt it.
Copyright law is very misunderstood. It is VERY VERY strict, and,
*fortunately*, very under-enforced. Technically, I can't sing Happy
Birthday without paying some old lady in St. Louis for the rights.
Technically, I can't play a CD in a bar unless I pay ASCAP royalties.
Technically, you have to pay original artists for ALL the samples you
use, even if it's only a half-second sample. Technically, I can't show
the Nike logo on my shoes in a motion picture without asking Nike. And
technically, you can't make a copy someone else's copyrighted stuff.
That's why Kinko's won't photocopy books for you - it's a copyright
violation to put a book on a photocopier and press "copy".
The only exception I know of is Fair Use, which covers journalists
mostly, but also to some degree satirists, essayists and commentators. I
dont think "commercial vs.non-profit" purposes has anything to do with
it.
Of course, I'm not a copyright lawyer either. It's just that I've had
copyright lawyers tell me "no way" so many times that I'm sick of it.
And misinterpreting the law to reflect my anti-copyright political
agenda won't help me win a lawsuit. Wishful thinking won't help you
against a media giant legal attack. Again, if you are going to violate
copyright, recognize the fact that you are doing it before you do so.
Then, go for it!
-CF
quoted 16 lines -----Original Message-----> -----Original Message-----
> From: Miles Egan
> > >It's not that simple. We've been over this on the list already
> > >(Laslo?). You CAN copy a disk as much as you want & even give
> copies
> > >away as long as you don't sell them, right?
> >
> > no not right and people are getting sick of it.
> >
> > g.
>
> Apparently you should re-acquaint yourself with the laws that govern
> your business, at least in the U.S. Check Laslo's message. If you do
> ever give this disk a legitimate pressing, I'll be first in line.
>
> Miles