Legal Question in Technology Law in Georgia

Re: Bootleg cds

Unless either the copyright has expired or the copyright holder has authorized free distribution of his work, downloading it without paying is illegal, and violates both civil and criminal laws. This is true even if you don't sell the music you download; selling it is also illegal but it is a separate act from the illegal download.

When lawyers refer to making a CD for "personal use" they presume you have already paid for the CD and are just making a backup for yourself. The fact that you intend to use a CD "personally" does not mean you can legally manufacture it from works for which you haven't paid.