Selling GS Episodes on Ebay

[Jeremy Nelson]

About a month ago, somebody put 6 episodes of Classic Concentration up for sale on Ebay. The episodes sold for nearly $100, as I remember. Is that illegal? I'm just asking because I know that the rules for most traders clearly say that they don't trade for cash.

[Dbacksfan12]

Would you burn a CD of your favorite songs and sell it on Ebay?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'rollercoaster87\' post=\'114517\' date=\'Mar 28 2006, 03:50 PM\']
About a month ago, somebody put 6 episodes of Classic Concentration up for sale on Ebay. The episodes sold for nearly $100, as I remember. Is that illegal?
[/quote]
Selling copyrighted material they don't own the rights to? Yeah, I'd call that illegal. What I would like to know is:

• what abject moron is willing to pay $100 for CC episodes,
• whether they actually paid up, and
• why can't I find a moron like that who has a hard-on for Iron Chef?

[chris319]

About a several months ago, somebody put 6 episodes of Classic Concentration some audio cassettes of copyrighted Score Productions music up for sale on Ebay. The episodes sold for nearly $100, as I remember. Is that illegal?

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'114531\' date=\'Mar 28 2006, 07:55 PM\']

• why can't I find a moron like that who has a hard-on for Iron Chef?
[/quote]
Disguise it as a "Mystery Prize", and you'll be all set. :-P

Oh, and offer a free gazpacho coupon.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Alright, alright, I get it. It's illegal. Thanks for clearing that up.

[dale_grass]

About a several months ago, somebody put 6 episodes of Classic Concentration some audio cassettes of copyrighted Score Productions music up for sale on Ebay. The episodes sold for nearly $100, as I remember. Is that illegal?

I may be missing some details here, but if I buy a Prince CD or get it for Easter, then turn around and sell it on Ebay, that's illegal?  If I compiled a CD and tried to sell it, or stole a CD outright, I can see how that's illegal.  How does the rule work?  (No sarcasm here; I just see some gray area.)

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'dale_grass\' post=\'114637\' date=\'Mar 29 2006, 01:55 PM\']
I may be missing some details here, but if I buy a Prince CD or get it for Easter, then turn around and sell it on Ebay, that's illegal?  If I compiled a CD and tried to sell it, or stole a CD outright, I can see how that's illegal.  How does the rule work?  (No sarcasm here; I just see some gray area.)
[/quote]
If you made a copy of the Prince CD for yourself, then sold the original while keeping the copy, that would be illegal.  If you whined to Prince's reps about being a really big fan, and for your efforts you got a not-for-resale promotional copy of his CD (like the ones radio stations get), and then you turned around and sold it anyway, that would be illegal.

Substitute "Score Productions tape" for "Prince CD" and you'll have an idea of what the miscreant in question did.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'dzinkin\' post=\'114639\' date=\'Mar 29 2006, 02:17 PM\']If you made a copy of the Prince CD for yourself, then sold the original while keeping the copy, that would be illegal.[/quote]
That's a wee bit misleading.  The act of reselling the original CD is not illegal.  Most of Ebay is built around reselling original items.  It's the act of making a copy for yourself that's illegal.  Naturally this is impossible to police so it goes on all the time.  

Theoretically, when the Copyright Police raid your home, they'll see all these copies and they'll say, politely at first, "We assume these are your backup copies.  May we see your originals, please?"  Then, when you can't produce them,  it's off to Copyright Prison with you.

[Ian Wallis]

That's a wee bit misleading. The act of reselling the original CD is not illegal. Most of Ebay is built around reselling original items. It's the act of making a copy for yourself that's illegal. Naturally this is impossible to police so it goes on all the time.

I always thought of it as "fair use".  If I have a bunch of CDs and want to make a compilation CD of the best tracks from each, as long as I don't sell it it isn't illegal.  

If you whined to Prince's reps about being a really big fan, and for your efforts you got a not-for-resale promotional copy of his CD (like the ones radio stations get), and then you turned around and sold it anyway, that would be illegal.

Technically I agree with that, although you do see promo CDs and records on e-bay all the time.

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'114645\' date=\'Mar 29 2006, 02:26 PM\']
It's the act of making a copy for yourself that's illegal. [/quote]
Is it?  I thought making a backup was perfect legit...would have came in handy when my car got busted into.

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'114658\' date=\'Mar 29 2006, 04:26 PM\']
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'114645\' date=\'Mar 29 2006, 02:26 PM\']
It's the act of making a copy for yourself that's illegal. [/quote]
Is it?  I thought making a backup was perfect legit...would have came in handy when my car got busted into.
[/quote]
Making a backup presumes that you're keeping the original.  If you sell the original, your duplicate is no longer a backup per se -- then it becomes an illegal copy.

[clemon79]

Right. I think, as long as we're being completely anal about what SPECIFICALLY the illegal act is (and not saying that's bad, it's an interesting discussion and I'm prepared to get anal right along with y'all , that it's better said the illegal act is either "not destroying your backup copy once the original has been voluntarily surrendered from your possession" (which covers Mark's case of the original being stolen), or "not transferring the backup copy to the new owner along with the original".

(Of course, given the RIAA's asinine stance on such things, I could totally see them thinking that Mark should destroy a backup if the original is stolen, but that's another rant. Viva la revolucion.)

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'114658\' date=\'Mar 29 2006, 04:26 PM\']
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'114645\' date=\'Mar 29 2006, 02:26 PM\']
It's the act of making a copy for yourself that's illegal. [/quote]
Is it?  I thought making a backup was perfect legit...would have came in handy when my car got busted into.
[/quote]
It's the act of making a copy that you intend to be your only copy that's the problem.  See my second paragraph.

[chris319]

Follow the money. If you make 500 copies of a Prince CD and keep them in your closet, the copyright police have no reason to bother you (however you might get a visit from men wearing white jackets carrying butterfly nets). If you sell those CDs for $5 each on ebay, at a flea market, out of the back of your van, etc., every $5 you collect takes $5 away from the people who stand to collect money through the normal sales channel (the record company, the artist, the retailer, etc.). It is one notch down from printing $10 bills on your color laser printer and going out and spending them.

when the Copyright Police raid your home, they'll see all these copies and they'll say, politely at first, "We assume these are your backup copies. May we see your originals, please?" Then, when you can't produce them, it's off to Copyright Prison with you.

I've seen busts of software pirates and polite is the last word one would use to describe them. Imagine a swarm of armed federal agents who are dressed to impress descending on a warehouse in an industrial park. I don't think they even knock first.