Stupidity Endures, Ford & GM Target Of Ripping Lawsuit
The Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies, a “non-profit” US royalty collective that claims to protect the worldwide home-taping, rental, and lending rights for featured recording artists, and record labels, has hurled a class-action lawsuit against General Motors (GM) and Ford for technology in their cars, which allow owners to “rip” a CD into the sound system’s internal hard drive. Really? I’m afraid, yes…
Clarion and Denso are also named in the suit since they manufacturer aftermarket car stereos that contain the same feature. The Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies, AARC, if you’re nasty, feels the automakers are required to pay royalties under the rules of the old Audio Home Recording Act, which set aside a stipend of every cassette recording tape, or such mechanism for recording, to offset any future piracy.
Although, the car’s hard drives can only rip a CD and not record from satellite or terrestrial radio, this seems to be a big time reach by the AARC.
