Downloading in Canada? All Clear!

from technewsworld.com.......

Want to download pop songs in MP3 format with impunity and without fear of prosecution? Move to Canada. The refuge for Vietnam War draft dodgers of the 1970s is now an asylum for intellectual-property pirates. A federal court judge in Canada this week ruled that swapping songs on the Internet for "personal use" does not violate copyright law or infringe on the rights of artists like J. Lo, Britney Spears or Elton John.

"Downloading a song for personal use does not amount to infringement," Justice Konrad von Finckenstein of the Federal Court of Canada declared in a decision released this week.

"I cannot see a real difference between a library that places a photocopy machine in a room full of copyrighted material and a computer user that places a personal copy on a shared directory," von Finckenstein said.
---------------------------------------------------------
now that's revolutionary. the equating of library books and mp3's is interesting...hmm. here's DMX's take from SOHH.com:

Daily Hip-Hop News:
DMX Says Labels Rob Rappers
written by Rich Rock
Tuesday - March 23, 2004

DMX is making Hollywood his home, arguing that record deals are robbing artists of money and their art.

On the promotion trail for his new movie, "Never Die Alone", DMX took time to blast record labels for their "robbery" of artist.

"The highest paid artists get 18 cents off a dollar, and the record company still owns their product even though they've paid for it."

DMX announced his "retirement" from rap with his release of Grand Champ in 2003. The multi-platinum rapper has reached platinum status several times, selling millions of his albums throughout his career with Def Jam Records. But the rapper/actor says record label fuzzy math results in artists paying for items the labels give as gifts.

"'Hey, we was looking at the new Range Rover, we thought it would be a great idea if we got it for you,'" DMX offered as an example. "They get it for you, you look on your P&L (profit and loss) report, you've got $80,000 and like 'thank you' - you end up thanking yourself."
-----------------------------

that is interesting...why do artists pay for the production, get shafted on the royalties...and then have no control over the product? no right to the copyright? in another interview DMX says that he has made dozens of songs that never made it to album..that he paid for in production costs..and that his record label still has the rights to, and can crank out album after album of his work without his permission and without royalties.

is it any wonder kurt cobain died poor? or that he was living in a car while Nevermind became one of the most successful albums ever?