“Australia’s million iPod users are all breaking the law. A Herald Sun investigation has found — despite the popularity of the pastime — no legal method exists for Australian iPod owners to fill their player with music. And they could face court with anti-piracy groups refusing to rule out suing users of the popular player,” Liam Houlihan reports for The Herald Sun.
“None of the tunes available from legal download internet sites are compatible with the Apple iPod music players. The common method of ‘ripping’ tunes on to an iPod from the user’s own CD collection is illegal — as a breach of copyright laws. And unlike Britain and the US, Australia does not yet have an Apple iTunes store for iPod-compatible legal downloads. An estimated million people nationwide have already bought and put music on their iPods — the most popular model of MP3 player,” Houlihan reports. “But all methods of filling the player with music are illegal, which means Australia’s hundreds of thousands of iPod users are all technically criminals.”
Full article here.
Near the end of the article, iPod owner Claire Cohen is quoted, “When I got my iPod I got online ready to pay. Hours later and after being devastated to find out Apple doesn’t care about iPod owners, I had to give up.” Cohen’s wrong. It’s reportedly Warner Music Group and Sony BMG Music that are holding up Apple’s iTunes Music Store Australia. It’s Warner Music Group and Sony BMG Music that don’t care about iPod owners, certainly not Apple.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Sony and Warner holding out on Apple iTunes Music Store Australia – September 08, 2005
Apple iPod sales humming right along in Australia – July 05, 2005
Hey Austrailia was a British penal colony, so what’s the problem?
Isn’t it possible that those millions of Aussie iPod owners have put copyright free music on their iPods?
How about something they created in Garageband?
There is a lot of free content, like Podcasts from other websites.
Stupid record labels are at fault for making aussie criminals.
Auntie Jack – if this were the situation all manufacturers of radar detection systems would be in trouble in the US too. They are legal to buy, not legal to use.
On the can’t rip tunes in Australia. Is this for real? How about making cassette tapes? Is that illegal too? How about VCRs and taping TV shows for cripes sakes? This is just too bizarre.
I guess if they want to stay legal all the Ozzie iPodders have to just use podcasts or http://magnatune.com/ or roll their own in Garage band. That is pretty bogus.
BTW, if you are in Australia and have a friend in the US or one with a US address credit card, you can have a friend send you an email gift ceritficate and then just give a US address (and no credit card info) when you sign up and it will work. Anybody, with a friend in Australia, this is something nice you could do to help them out until their government and the Music labels get their shi*t together.
Damm, Warner and Sony are holding up iTMS Austraila and now iTMS Japan.
What frigging bastards, I’ll never buy another Warner or Sony item again unless they come around.
Gosh I hope hurricane Rita hits where Katrina already did it’s damage.
I would like to see NO under water again, but at least by now everyone is evacuated. 🙁
“So can I fly to New Zealand and fill it there? Will i be allowed to bring it back into the country?”
Nope – we’ve got the same idiotic laws here too.
From: god sucks…
Sep 22, 05 – 01:23 am
and the followers swallow.
iDon’t… I think uDo.
——————-
they do? damn what a fool i have been
allah is great (but the lies are greater)
And this is why I now live in America, even with all it’s troubles (yea, I guess I swapped).
Besides the out of date copyright laws (who knew??), they have massive taxes aka “stamp duty” (on houses), tickets for speeding 3km/h over the limit. Not to mention the dropping standard of health care and their Lets increase the taxes on the “rich” (i.e. approx. middle class) if they don’t have private health insurance (so you get less care for more $). Oh, and tell me why in 5 years, landline telephone rental has nearly tripled? Oh that’s right, the government wants to sell off the remaining share of the major telco (Tel$tra) so charge more to make it into a profitable business. Why is petrol (gas) $1.30+ a litre? Btw, the top tax bracket comes in at a moderately low annual wage (AU$70K? Ok, it’s just been raised to AU$95K, but there’s still a huge sum to pay along with the %).
Why does electronics cost so much there? Much of it comes from Asia,… like, right next door.
They have some great universities, but are user-pays like America (although not nearly as expensive I don’t think.) so not everyone can afford to go. Of course, prior to 1989 they were basically free, so the politicians who decided we had to pay for uni’s all had a free education. Funny that.
They also have no real entrepreneur system – VC’s and all that – so you’re on your own, until you’re successful, then when you’re known the country’s proud of you. But before that? Huh! Bad luck. It’s turning into a country of sports stars and farmers. Anything else, you’re just a scumbag (yea, ok, I’m exaggerating). Notice how many well known Aussies didn’t make their money there? They usually went to America or England. Esp. those in the entertainment industry, but also a great many scientists work abroad. They call it the “brain drain”, and it’s been going on for years – decades in fact.
Why are engineers, and other technical professions treated with contempt by business owners? They should be respected but aren’t. Who is respected in Australia? Sports stars mainly. Actors – big deal – no one really important. No wonder the scientists leave.
The Government apparently doesn’t know why in a country of around 20 million people, 1 million Australians live overseas. Funny, because I reckon I’ve got a pretty good freakin’ idea why (see above). When they call up and ask me, I’ll pass on this link.
I love Australia, it’s beautiful natural environment, friendly people, has some good cities with good transport, and bonus – you don’t get shot on freeways as per L.A.. Plus it is a multi-cultural society without a real lower class from any one country heritage (unlike the US with Hispanics, Cubans, and African-Americans.)
Seriously, the Government together with big business are screwing things up big time and taxing and charging Australian’s too much for just about everything with minimal in return. They are also very disrespectful to just about anyone with half a brain. They look to America and follow their models for far too many things, and end up screwing things up because America is 15x bigger (population wise), or maybe the American model was just plain wrong.
… and that’s why the music industry needs to pull their heads in.
haha.
Ok, flame on!
Oh,and Tel$tra, 512kbps is not Broadband.
😀
DAVO, sorry buddy, we have the same crap law in NZ. It’s illegal for my iPod to be filled with all of the 2000 songs I have so far, even though I bought them all legally on CD format, and still own the CDs. This is called “illegal conversion” here, converting the format from one to another, eg, CD to Tape, MP3 to CD, CD to MP3. Stupid Stupid archaic laws.
And greedy ignorant music labels. If they would just co-operate with Apple on the set pricing and enable them to provide music, and then if they would make a small adjustment to the old out-of-date laws so that putting purchased music on MP3 players is legal (ever heard of FAIR USE, govts and record co.s???), then they would end up making more money in the end!
*Throws up hands in futile display of frustration*
“The Government apparently doesn’t know why in a country of around 20 million people, 1 million Australians live overseas”
Yes we do, now if we could just get another 9 million to follow, we could stop this god-forsaken spot all turning into desert.
Former Aussie. Some good points there. We have a lot of the same problems here.
And I wanted to clarify my remarks above. Or rather amend: Not all of my 2000 songs are illegally on my iPod. There are about 20 tunes that I made myself in Garageband, so I guess I can do what the hell I want with them, right? Or is that illegal too here? I did “convert” them from an aiff to an mp3…
Grr. No, this is really pissing me off.
When I go jogging or cycling, I don’t want to take a big stupid CD player. I don’t want to use tapes. The format that is logical is what is current, namely an iPod and digital format. This crap law in NZ and Australia has got to go. Sure I’m breaking it already, along with thousands of NZers and millions of Aussies, but in order to not break the law, here are the options:
1/ listen to the radio.
2/ carry a goddam DISCMAN for chrissake.
3/ not listen to music at all.
I’m not happy with any of those options.
1/ Radio is crap. Too many ads, the DJs all suck.
2/ I can’t carry a discman and jog. To big, to bulky, it skips.
3/ Stuff the third option. Music is a part of my life.
So, I’ll carry on breaking the goddam law until “they” wake up and realise we’re past 1984, and times have moved on since they made up these stupid laws.
*heaves a sigh*
Phew, glad to get that rant out of my system. Cheers.
Jack Andrade–
untie Jack – if this were the situation all manufacturers of radar detection systems would be in trouble in the US too. They are legal to buy, not legal to use.
You’re wrong about radar detectors in the US. In the US, a radar is classified by the FCC as a radio receiver. It is a radio because it receives only. Jammers on the other hand, are transmitters, and are illegal, because to transmit a signal, you have to have a special license. But radio is free and legal. No one can do anything about it.
“….Isn’t it possible that those millions of Aussie iPod owners have put copyright free music on their iPods?
How about something they created in Garageband?…”
To the other Mac Dude….
Good thought …. but lest we forget … Garage Band only works on Macs …
iPods work on that other platform …
It is a shame that our laws prohibit the transfer of digital music to devices such as iPods. Hopefully this will change some time soon.
MDN: Is there any reason why crappy pop up ads are appearing again when I’m using Safari 2.0.1 and have ad blocking on? I think you need to check your advertisement provider and fix it. You’ll piss us all off again, like last year, and many will leave.
And get rid of those bloody jamster ads, having them play their crap music only makes the average punter want to delete you from their bookmarks.
So what do you want them to do?
Please have your professional advice.
the world is going to S**t i’m moving to the moon
Now the secret is out, we all really bought our iPods to listen to Podcasts and, Podcast safe music.
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If record companies made it illegal to listen to CD music you purchased on your portable mp3 player, who is the REAL criminal?
so how hard is it to purchase MP3 tracks online and then import them into iTunes..?
Or am I just being simplistic… ;o)
Interesting comment from ‘Former Aussie’. I think you have a good point, and living in Britain, what you say is applying here too. The “little shits” as I call them are more and more running the place. Speeding tickets for 4mph over the limit, stealth taxes and a government now employing one in 4 of the population. The little shits are taking over; no honour, no integrity, just little ‘jobsworths’ exercising their ill-deserved authority on decent people. Is the US the answer? Certainly Canada isn’t.
And just out of solidarity, here in the UK it is also illegal to rip CDs whether you are a private individual or a ripping service.
Which means, by by estimates, that around 6 million iPod users in the UK are breaking the law even when they fill their iPods with their own legally owned music.
However, because the record industry knows it would look stupid dragging millions of quite respectable people through the court, it chooses not prosecute the private individuals. Instead, it has – according to people I know – decided to go after the ripping services.
As a result, the ripping services in the UK which would be quite legal to use in the USA are very likely to shut down because of the onerous condition being placed upon them by the record industry which apparently wants 30%+ of their gross income, plus DRM plus a quarterly statement of what CDs were ripped for what customers down to the track level.
And that doesn’t even include the music publishing industry getting its snout in the trough.
The music industry: like the Mafia only with silly haircuts and louder clothes.
What the music labels don’t get -and Jobs does- is that as the world moves to the iPod it is going to buy, yet again, all the old music it already bought up to 4 times before..on 78’s, LP’s, tapes and CD’s. The prices for music being bought on its 4th format should be nominal – especially as this distribution method carries zero cost to the labels.
There needs to be whole re-think of how the business works…
Fly or seil to Neo-Caledonia. It’s stil a French colony where you can buy on French ITMS.
It’s also a nice place.
so? everyone downloads music illegaly, why pay musiclabels and artists who are already multimillionairs more money when they’ve a$$fucked us when we couldn’t download?
they deserve it, greedy bastards!
I live in the UK so am not affected, but I agree with ‘new zealand’, forget the retarded laws and listen to whatever you want on your iPod. They can get f**ked.
Who’s going to check every iPod for source of their music?
=)
LG
if i buy a music cd i consider it mine so i can put it on any of my stereo systems or mp3 player if i want to and no onecan stop me.