Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Illinois
Say I buy a CD, but I decide I only like one or two songs on it. Is it legal for me to make a digital copy of the songs I want and then sell or give the CD away? (This as opposed to giving away the CD then paying to digitally download the songs from iTunes, Amazon, etc.)
Asked on 11/07/12, 4:51 pm
1 Answer from Attorneys
John Mitchell
Interaction Law
Regardless of whether you bought, borrowed, or stole the CD, the question is whether your actions in reproducing the sound recordings comply with the requirements of the section 1008 of the U.S. Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. � 1008, http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/1008. (And be sure to look at the definitions in � 1001.) Note that this only applies to sound recordings, and not to other material that might be on a CD, such as a movie, images, text, or computer programs.
Answered on 11/07/12, 9:36 pm