Irate music owners in the digital age
Years ago, when we found that what was our favorite band had recorded backmasked messages from Satan or they made some un-American political statement, it was easy to gather in a public forum and smash their records or CDs.
However, what can we do with a downloaded track from iTunes? Should we all gather in some public place and en masse delete the track from our laptops?
Or should we burn it to a CD, and then smash the CD? Does copyright law recognize a "copying for ceremonial destruction" exemption? This seems like it should be a protected example of free speech. However, does it prevent one person (or some parental organization) from making 1000 copies for distribution to people who are made at the idea of the singer or song but didn't like them before and so don't have anything to destroy?
However, what can we do with a downloaded track from iTunes? Should we all gather in some public place and en masse delete the track from our laptops?
Or should we burn it to a CD, and then smash the CD? Does copyright law recognize a "copying for ceremonial destruction" exemption? This seems like it should be a protected example of free speech. However, does it prevent one person (or some parental organization) from making 1000 copies for distribution to people who are made at the idea of the singer or song but didn't like them before and so don't have anything to destroy?
1 Comments:
It is probably legal to produce multiple cd-r copies in Canada. Unless the law has changed, there is a surcharge on all cd-r purchases in Canada because of the presumed MP3 burning that takes place. That surcharge then goes to the recording industry. You would not likely see a mass disk breaking protest there because you'd be indirectly paying the artist you were protesting.
My question is, what would the modern day equivalent of the Chicago White Sox's "Disco Demolition Night" be?
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