[X4U] Napster purchased songs cannot be converted to AAC for use on iPod

[Michael Winter]

On Jul 19, 2006, at 11:20 AM, Eddie Hargreaves wrote:

> The rules certainly can be changed. That's what the DMCA did.  
> Originally,
> when you bought a commercial DVD it was not illegal for you to make  
> a backup
> copy for yourself. Now it is.

I'm splitting hairs here, but as I understand it, the DMCA did not  
make it illegal to make a backup copy of a DVD per se (that's still  
covered by fair use). What it did was make it illegal to circumvent  
the protection on the DVD, which one would need to do in order to  
make a backup. IOW making a backup is not illegal, but what you have  
to do to make the backup is.

The "nice" side effect is that its just as illegal for someone to  
circumvent the protections to allow you to skip piracy warnings or  
previews at the beginning of a DVD if the media company doesn't want  
you to. How's that for taking something that would normally be  
considered perfectly fine and legal for an individual to do in their  
own home, and making it illegal.

-Mike