Is MP3 Legal?

Since there have been so many lawsuits like the high profile suit involving Napster, many people are not sure whether MP3 is legal or not.

The issue surrounding MP3 legality is copyright. The same premise behind the copyright laws governing books and other printed material are behind MP3. The law is trying to protect artists from not getting paid when people copy and distribute there music.

In and of itself, MP3 as a format is completely legal. MP3 is merely a technology that Thompson Multimedia and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft own a patent on. MP3 files become illegal when someone has taken copyrighted music, made copies of it, and distributed it to others without the rightful consent of the owners. Many argue that if they have bought the music they can do whatever they want with it as long as they are not making a profit. Under Digital Millenium Copyright Act, this is not true. Solid application of these laws however gets sketchy. What if you own the music and want to make copies on your computer or make your own custom CDs? Many believe, including myself, we have the right to do so. It is up to you to research the law and act according to your own ethical standards.

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