Can I play iTunes in my classroom?

Is it leagal to play a song for my class I have downloaded from iTunes?

Iffy. The iTunes Store terms of sale say that tracks are for "personal use only". So by strict reading, no, it would not be allowable to use them in a classroom. However, fair use provisions for educational use may apply. I'd suggest you consult your district's attorney or copyright enforcement officer.

May I make a mix CD to lend to another teacher to play for her class this year?

No, that would be disallowed by any measure.

Only those on the same subnet as your computer can share, and to share purchased tracks they would have to be authorized to your iTunes Store account, which would not be allowed since again, those are for personal use only (so sharing would apply to family at home, which is still considered "personal use", but not fellow teachers at school).

How is this any different from purchasing a CD from Wal-Mart and loaning it out to a friend? It's ridiculous restrictions like these that are perpetuating the pirating! And why couldn't you play it in the classroom, are you saying that everyone who holds a party and plays their purchased music is breaking the law? In fact Apple promotes that you can drop music from iTunes into an iMovie then post it to dotMac via iWeb FOR EVERYONE TO SEE AND HEAR.

I would say for both questions the answer is you can, but instead of getting your answer from an apple forum, talk to your board's legal council. Or just do it because what idiot is going to sue a school?

jaycsls wrote:
How is this any different from purchasing a CD from Wal-Mart and loaning it out to a friend? I

When You loan a CD, You don;t have the CD anymore. Physical media and Didgital are very different things. Apples and Oranges.

And why couldn't you play it in the classroom, are you saying that everyone who holds a party and plays their purchased music is breaking the law? In fact Apple promotes that you can drop music from iTunes into an iMovie then post it to dotMac via iWeb FOR EVERYONE TO SEE AND HEAR.

Those are very different things.

in fact Apple promotes that you can drop music from iTunes into an iMovie then post it to dotMac via iWeb FOR EVERYONE TO SEE AND HEAR.

In fact, Apple doesn't promote posting of commercial, copyrighted music to public web sites at all. The Terms and Conditions of .Mac explicitly prohibit material in infringement of copyright.

Sharing music between teachers, except where such sharing is for educational purposes and so falls within the "fair use" allowed within US copyright law, is just as illegal as if you shared with your friends. And download stores carry, by demand of the content owners, even stricter restrictions on use than do CDs, so by terms of use of the Store, even such usage may be disallowed. Consulting an attorney is, as I stated in my first post, highly advisable.

are you saying that everyone who holds a party and plays their purchased music is breaking the law?

They could be, yes, if the party is in any sort of public venue. And yes, the record companies do police such things and have been known to start legal action in such instances, though it's much more likely to happen in cases where a professional DJ has been hired.

just do it because what idiot is going to sue a school?

The RIAA would, and has. Trust me, I work for a school; they will quite readily go after schools for copyright infringement.