Audio Video News

If you rip CDs to your hard-drive-based car media system, does that violate the rights of artists? The Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies says yes, claiming that your system qualifies as a digital audio recording device, and therefore that manufacturers should pay royalties to the music labels. The group filed suit in the D.C. federal district court, alleging violation of the Audio Home Recording Act (AHRA). The Consumer Electronics Association’s Gary Shapiro demurs: “As a convenience to consumers, the storage capacity of systems designed and installed to hold mapping data and information can also be used in some car models to store owners’ personal CDs. These multipurpose, automotive storage capacities fit neither the definitions nor intention of the AHRA—they are not efficient for copying the CDs of anyone other than the automobile owner. If this feature has had any effect in the marketplace, it has been to enhance and prolong the utility of the CD format.”