If I bought a CD and ripped it to my PC, then sold the CD, is it illegal to still keep the songs?

Question

If so, then what for did my Microsoft develop the rip feature in WMP?

If not, up to what is the extent of legality and what would be considered illegal to be done?

How about if you sold it to your friend? there are no receipts involved there. Can be considered as lending/giving and transfer payment (pretty much like scholarships in economic terms).

get off my questions!!!! nutcase!! lol

Answer 1

It's a trickier question than other respondents seem to realize; I'm not sure that courts have ruled on this specific question yet, so there may not be a definite answer right now.

First, your right to copy the songs to your computer is, as others suggested, a consequence of your purchase of the recorded copy. It is definitely legal.

Second, you clearly have the right to re-sell the disk, under the "first sale doctrine". It is yours like any other purchased object, and you can sell or give it as you see fit (not rent, though, which is specifically forbidden by statute).

Whether you have the right to retain the songs on your computer might, in an actual case, come down to whether the first sale doctrine is considered so strong that the rights that come with that original purchase can not be extinguished later simply by getting rid of the disk, which is a legitimate exercise of the purchaser's rights. The courts in recent years have tended to shrink consumer rights, though, not increase them, so there is also good reason to believe a court would consider the right extinguished. Unless someone cites a federal court case on this question specifically, it's fair to say that it's an open question.

In practical terms, even if it were infringement, it is very unlikely to ever result in any efforts at enforcement, because it is very unlikely to ever be discovered, especially if you don't make any further copies of the tracks.

Answer 2

if you sold the cd yes, because by selling the cd you are selling your rights to those songs. why did ms create the rip feature? as a back up, so you could make a backup of something you own, allowing you to use the copy and keep the original from being damaged..which is one of the reasons they created cassette tapes.

Answer 3

Anyone who told you you can keep your backup at this point is dead wrong - the alw allows you to make ONE backup of any software or music cd for you own purposes, but when you dispose of the original (through sale or giving it away), you must destroy the backup. If you damage the original, keep it. At that point you would be using the backup, but if it ever came up whether you had the right to make a backup, you would need the original as proof.

Answer 4

Basically, according to the RIAA:

Listening to it
Having friend listen to it
playing it loud so other can hear it
putting it in your computer
enjoying it
unwrapping it
are all illegal

The ripping is so that you can put it on a portable music player. You are suppose to be using digital rights management so you need the cd.

Answer 5

Yes, it is illegal. You are purchasing the right to use that song. When sell the CD, you are selling the right to use the song. Thus, when you play the "ripped" version off your hard drive, you are using intellectual property that you do not have a right to use.

Answer 6

Yes, it is illegal.

You are allowed to make BACKUP copies of a recording you own, but you lost that right when you sold the original media.

Besides, if you like the music, you should want to support the artist who produced it.

Answer 7

no
anyone can make a backup copy of something they bought.
even if you do sell the cd you allready paid for it its your to do what you want.

Answer 8

Do whatever you want man. No one will find out.

Answer 9

move on!teens do this all the time