Photo: Cadillac
No, GM and Ford employees haven’t been discovered to rip audio CDs at work, but the cars they are making can do that due to a feature embedded in their audio unit software.
According to a TorrentFreak report, the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies opened a lawsuit against Ford and General Motors stating that their “Jukebox” and “Hard Drive Device” audio unit capabilities are allowing users to rip copyrighted CDs and fall under the Audio Home Recording Act (AHRA), therefore the companies should pay royalties.
Partners Denso and Clarion, who provide the audio units, are also targeted by the lawsuit.
Since both automakers sold vehicles fitted with such systems for several years, the artists and record labels tell the damage sums up to hundreds of millions of dollars and they want to terminate the deal.
The suers however missed the fact that the AHRA comes with exemptions for personal use of copyrighted material and recording equipment that’s part of a larger device. So, how much illegal is it to make a safety copy of an original CD (because it will eventually get scratched) at home compared to simply copying it in your car on a hard drive so you can listen to it all you want without damaging the support?
The AHRA took shape in 1992 when record labels got aware about the fact that cassette tape recorders can make almost identical copied of any audio recordings.
Partners Denso and Clarion, who provide the audio units, are also targeted by the lawsuit.
Since both automakers sold vehicles fitted with such systems for several years, the artists and record labels tell the damage sums up to hundreds of millions of dollars and they want to terminate the deal.
The suers however missed the fact that the AHRA comes with exemptions for personal use of copyrighted material and recording equipment that’s part of a larger device. So, how much illegal is it to make a safety copy of an original CD (because it will eventually get scratched) at home compared to simply copying it in your car on a hard drive so you can listen to it all you want without damaging the support?
The AHRA took shape in 1992 when record labels got aware about the fact that cassette tape recorders can make almost identical copied of any audio recordings.
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