Keep in mind that I’m not a doctor of law (although I retain an honorary PhD in ‘Home Cookin”), but something didn’t seem right to me when I read Bob Kohn’s analysis of Rip Digital’s CD ripping service (prompted, as it happens, by our review). Kohn—who it must be noted, is no dime store music law pundit—posited the idea that Rip Digital’s service might be illegal, on the grounds that hiring someone else to do your home taping equivalent might fall outside of the scope of the owner’s right of reproduction. Here’s my expert opinion: Hrmmm.
https://gizmodo.com/ripdigital-cd-ripping-service-review-27669
But I talked to Rip Digital’s founder Dick Adams, who assured me that they “architected [their] service in compliance with US copyright law,” and even contacted the music industry and made them aware of their plans before they started (not that that prevents a RIAA banhammer in the future, but still). And if you think about it, who could possibly be using Rip Digital to infringe copyright, when the service only rips commercially-pressed CDs you send them and they ear mark each MP3 they send back with a code that ties it to you? You’d have to be the most hardworking pirate in the world to get around their voluntary protections—and then why would you need their service?
Is This Digital Ripping Service Legal? [BobKohn]
