MS Patent for DRM OS

[Ben Clifford]

On 14 Dec 2001, Pete Chown wrote:

> > I think the best solution to this so far is still the levy on cassette
> > tapes, to compensate the producers of LP records ...
>
> I don't like this because it means that people pay money without getting
> any rights in return.  You pay the music industry when you buy a tape
> but you get nothing back; you still aren't supposed to copy music.

In the US, the Home Recording Act of 1992 seems to allow you to copy stuff
for "noncommercial use by a consumer".

I haven't really looked at it very hard, so I may be misunderstanding it.

A google search for "Home Recording Act" brings up a load of pages.

> Say I played in a local
> band; someone might make a bootleg recording and pass copies around.
> Does that mean that I get a share?  What about a small "independent"
> record label?  They could be put at a competitive disadvantage if they
> don't get to share in the levy.

The correct procedure is to sign up with them and distribute your music
through the "official" record companies ;-)

-- 
Ben Clifford     benc@hawaga.org.uk
http://www.hawaga.org.uk/ben/  GPG: 30F06950