"stealing" music

Not exactly, For example, some protected CDs you buy in a store will only rip/import to your PC using windows media player BUT if you contact the record company or the web address on the CD, they tell you how to get the song in iTUnes, and therefore on an ipod.

It basicly all boils down to what the fine print says on the CD. Usually long as you have bought it and use it for your own personal usage, without selling it or offering it to friends/family your not breaking any laws.

It also depends on where you live as different countries and different states in the US have conflicting laws. Basicly if the record companies tell you how to put it on iTUnes, your not breaking any laws and most in the US do tell you how. THe record companies hold the copyrights, if they allow it, then your not breaking the copyright laws

Over the years, I've read a few posts from Australians on these boards indicating that ripping CDs for one's personal use and transferring files to an iPod is illegal. This sounds absurd, especially since Apple has been selling iPods in the Australian market for a long time, and I don't even know if there is an Australian iTMS as of yet (I don't keep up with iTMS).

New iPods are sheathed in plastic wrapping so that the first thing you see before you touch the device is a message telling you not to steal music (Don't steal music"). iTunes has always offered the ability to rip CDs in order for users to be able to digitize their personal music collections and transfer the contents to iPods, so I think the point is that once you digitize your music, you should not share it illegally, nor should you download music shared illegally by others.

Use your own judgement. Considering your sig and the fact you even asked, your judgement seems pretty good, even a bit too cautious.

In the fine line of legality regarding "stealing music", downloading music you haven't paid for is definitely on the other side.

Copying CDs to your computer and then to your iPod is definitely on the good side. You have paid for it, you aren't giving it away on the Internet, you are selling it, you (and your family and friends) can listen to it however you want.

The record companies only care about profit. Their goal is to have you pay each time to listen to copyrighted sound. If you play those sounds for others, you should pay more for such a performance. Take a stand for what is "right" and "fair". Laws can and do change. If listening to music you purchased on your iPod is illegal in your country. That is an unfair law that needs to be scrapped. If you are paying for something, and doing what is right, demand to be treated fairly and with respect and to get your money's worth.

And remember, you are on a PC. When you insert any CD, always hold down the "shift" key. Otherwise, the CD can install potentially dangerous software on your machine that could leave you vulnerable to viruses and spyware.

And remember, you are on a PC. When you insert any CD, always hold down the "shift" key. Otherwise, the CD can install potentially dangerous software on your machine that could leave you vulnerable to viruses and spyware.

Good point. I always completely disable autorun on any PC I'm using. The bad news is that Apple, despite their good intentions, has made iTunes for Windows a product that nearly forces users during its installation routine to compromise the safety of their PCs for the sake of Gracenote access. I definitely have a beef with that and feel it needs to be changed right away.

You don't get track names if you hold down shift while inserting a CD?

As a Mac user, I feel sorry you. As a cross-platform software developer, I sense an opportunity...

I'm primarily a Mac user 🙂

iTunes for Windows has a problem requiring a workaround when CDs are loaded and autorun is enabled. To sidestep this, you must click on the desktop and then switch back to iTunes. It's the only Windows program I can think of that suffers from such a problem.

I don't use the Shift key trick since it's completely unnecessary once the registry is altered to disable autorun. Many other Windows programs that deal with audio CDs, such as EAC and PlexTools, have a software-based option to ignore autorunning garbage on infected CDs when the software is running, which provides a different sort of protection for those who haven't figured out how to edit their registry or forgot to hold down the Shift key.

Thanks for that tip. Here are some instructions on how to turn off autoplay.

I've never turned off autopay on my PC, but I should. Luckily I only use the PC for software development. If it hadn't been for all this brouhaha over "stealing music" and DRM copy protection, I would have never known about Windows rootkits. It's a rough world out there.