What to do with 1,200 CDs I don't need

Edesilva, very nice analysis. I fully recognize that this issue is not fully legally decided and I would imagine that future court cases will only partly clarify the morass.

The RIAA is not a consumer advocate group. They would love to have CDs granted the protections that computer software makers are currently provided. I believe I am in a majority position in arguing that new legislation would have to be enacted to bring them there. Such new legislation would be an erosion of privileges currently enjoyed by consumers.

"The RIAA is not a consumer advocate group."

Amen to that. Frankly, kind of makes me queasy to even state their arguments, even if I do so with attribution. Just read another thread where they are suing a family for illegally downloading material, and the family doesn't even have a computer. The fact that the family just moved into the house in question doesn't seem to enter into the RIAA's analysis.

I'm a huge advocate of extensive fair use rights and think DRM is anti-consumer. Don't even get me started on video technology... Here I'll put in a plug for EFF--the Electronic Frontier Foundation--at http://www.eff.org.

Highway 61, you wore me out yesterday with your dust storm of what-if scenarios but I will try one more time to convince you that buying a CD, making and retaining a copy for your personal use, and then selling the original is illegal. Forget about whether or not you lose it or how many people are in your family.

My whole position depends entirely on the fact that it is illegal to sell copies. If you feel that it is legal to buy and sell copies then don't bother to read any further.

Scenario 1: You buy a new CD for $15, make a copy to keep for your use, and sell the original to your friend for $10.

Scenario 2: Your friend buys a new CD for $15, sells you a copy to use for $5, and he keeps the original. This is clearly illegal if you agree that selling copies is illegal.

The end result is exactly the same. In both cases your friend has the original and is out $10 while you have a copy and are out $5. How can one be legal and the other not if the end result is exactly the same?

It doesn't matter if you murder your wife or you pay somebody to murder your wife, if you get caught you are going to fry.

There's a new DMCA Bill coming up for vote soon. This one makes even talking about circumventing copy protection a crime. In addition, the language is so overly broad, that it actually makes any device that can be used to circumvent copy protection illegal. So, I guess that it would make personal computers illegal. You have to love it when the RIAA and the music labels write laws.

Yes Herman, but at least she'll be dead before you ;^)