Is copying Apple iPod downloads to your iPod illegal?
The simple answer is no.
The only thing that is illegal is taking copyrighted material that you haven't acquired legitimately - and, of course, distributing copyrighted material that you have acquired legitimately.
You are well within your rights to copy your own music collection onto your computer or your iPod, as long as you don't then copy those files onto your friends computer or iPod.
As for music on the internet there are numerous legal options, including online services that sell individual tracks to download and keep, others offer unlimited access to a music archive in return for either a monthly fee or a one off membership fee,
There are also plenty of Apple iPod downloads that are both legal and free, these include one-off promotions from the major labels, as well as songs from little known musicians or upcoming bands who are more interested in exposure and making a name for themselves than making a profit.
As we've already seen there is nothing the record industry fears more (for obvious reasons) than the uncontrolled distribution of its copyrighted material.
It is difficult (impossible?) to see how the record companies can stop people sharing files they have copied from their own CD's even if the manage to legally kill off the underground file sharing networks.
The major labels do however have a strategy for stopping people freely distributing tracks they have legally purchased.
Its called Digital Rights Management or DRM, it involves embedding special pieces of code into music files (or Apple iPod downloads or other formats for that matter) which digitally impose certain restrictions on what you can do with that file.
Peter Ward writes on a variety of download and digital recording issues. For more information on Apple iPod Downloads visit.... http://www.best-music-download-site.co.uk
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