DVD not a good solution

[mikeymike]

So you see:
Throwing away your old (analogue) "crap" would be the most stupid thing you could do!

Or you could just make sensible, researched choices into what digital hardware you buy?

Boycott makers of copy-protected CDs?

[mikeymike]

Unfortunately you can't see it on the cover of a CD if it is copy-protected or not.

Nope, but you can read up and find out what record labels are shipping copy-protected CDs.  BMG is one, for example, since about 2002.

[mikeymike]

Just like half the crap MS put in their EULAs, most of what the record industry is doing is unchallenged in court.  I very much doubt I'll ever see anyone just having copies for their own use lose their case.

Until then, all my CDs have been ripped to mp3 format so I can listen to them on my computer, for my own use only.

I'll be avoiding companies like Sony, who like to produce players that can't read CD-Rs, amongst other things.

[mikeymike]

Dan wrote:
Here in Sweden all labels put on a warning on the cd-case if "This cd might not be playable in all cd-players or PC CD-ROM"
Because otherwise a lot of people would come back and return it and ask for their money back.
There was somebody who could play his new Kent(a swedish band) cd in his carstereo with cdplayer with mp3-ability, that did just that. The record company took it all the way to the court where they lost the case in about 5 minutes.

'They' being the record company, you mean?

[mikeymike]

If Philips back a technology, that's usually a good sign that it doesn't have DRM/copy-protection involved.

[mikeymike]

AFAIK, there was a court case (in the UK?) about video recorders, some industry associations argued it would only be used for illegal copying of material, but it could also be used for recording sports/news events (which aren't copyright-protected), so it was allowed.