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View Full Version : Would this be legal?



Grant A.
July 5th, 2009, 04:18 AM
I live in the United States, and I have a ton of music on my iPod. However, they are all DRM-Free .aac. Would it be legal for me to convert them to .wav, copy the .wav files to my laptop, convert them to .flac from there, and then copy them to a CD for personal use? By personal use, I mean back-up, copying them to my other computer, et cetera.

mynameinc
July 5th, 2009, 04:19 AM
I live in the United States, and I have a ton of music on my iPod. However, they are all DRM-Free .aac. Would it be legal for me to convert them to .wav, copy the .wav files to my laptop, convert them to .flac from there, and then copy them to a CD for personal use? By personal use, I mean back-up, copying them to my other computer, et cetera.

Not an expert in copyright law, but I can almost assure you: no.

Sorry, didn't read the "DRM-Free" phrase. Kids, sleep-deprivation IS NOT good for one's reading.

monsterstack
July 5th, 2009, 04:21 AM
I live in the United States, and I have a ton of music on my iPod. However, they are all DRM-Free .aac. Would it be legal for me to convert them to .wav, copy the .wav files to my laptop, convert them to .flac from there, and then copy them to a CD for personal use? By personal use, I mean back-up, copying them to my other computer, et cetera.

If they're not DRM'd in the first place, you're fine. Circumvention of DRM is disallowed by the DMCA, but backing stuff up for personal use is fine. How people are supposed to back stuff up when it has been DRM'd is a major snafu in the law, but even if you were to strip the DRM so you could back them up, it's hard to imagine anyone bringing a case against you.

Grant A.
July 5th, 2009, 04:25 AM
Ah, I see. Thank you both very much for the replies. :D

overdrank
July 5th, 2009, 04:28 AM
Closed at op's request.