It looks like I'm nothing more than a dirty, rotten thief. Which is probably ok, because odds are, so are you - at least in the eyes of the RIAA. Reversing their testimony in the Grokster case, the RIAA now says that copying songs from a CD is a violation of copyright:

The RIAA has lodged documents in the ongoing case of the Record Industry vs Jeffrey Howell that argues that ripping music from legally purchased CD’s is illegal.

This is a pretty bold claim - if they get away with it (and, Grokster notwithstanding, you never know with court cases), then anyone with an iPod is at risk.

The funny thing is, even as the RIAA makes these arguments, we have Warner moving to DRM-free downloads. Some parts of the industry seem to have figured out that repeatedly slapping their customers around is a bad thing - but the major trade group is still filled with people desperately trying to preserve a dead business model (CD sales dropped again in 2007).

In the end, I think Mathew Ingram has this right - the music industry as it currently exists is doomed. It's in the process of being taken out by digital distribution, and even these legal maneuvers are nothing more than desperate - but ultimately doomed - rear-guard actions. Sometime soon, the seat warmers at the RIAA are going to have to find real jobs, and stop subtracting value from the world.

Technorati Tags: DRM, music