Quote:
Originally Posted by tompe
That depends on what you mean by permission. It is perfectly OK to copy anything for yourself without explicit permission in most countries.
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Well, in the United States you are allowed to make one "backup" or "convenience" copy of most CD's, movies, and books. The copy is supposed to be used while the original is stored for safe-keeping. The idea is that you pay for one copy and use one copy at a time. When you make MP3s of a CD you bought to put on your player, it is expected that you will keep the original in storage.
These laws are intended to keep the owner of the copyright from losing money. It's basically to prevent theft. There are nuances to the laws depending on what the actual usage is, educational applications, etc. But the spirit behind the law is that a consumer is ideally supposed to use the exact quantity of what he/she purchased. If you want two CD's, you're supposed to buy two CD's, not purchase one and then copy away to your heart's content. A consumer is "allowed" to make one copy so that the original can be protected.
In general people are greedy, and want all they can get for free. In general, businesses are greedy, wanting to charge as much as they can for as little as they can. Creators of copyrighted material are the ones who usually lose out because of high prices (which result in lower sales), and people who thoughtlessly make copy after copy (which is theft in MANY, but not all cases).
Our culture has evolved to such that's it's socially acceptable to make all kinds of copies of anything you've purchased, but just because it's socially accepted doesn't make it right.