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Pope Benedict: Stealing Songs?

Legal Issues

from the someone-call-the-RIAA dept

Wed, Mar 8th 2006 11:32am — Mike Masnick
This is, of course, a perfectly ridiculous headline, but given the way the recording industry has acted lately, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see the recording industry make this accusation. We've discussed in the past the legality of selling an iPod that has music on it already, and the recording industry has already made it quite clear that they don't believe fair use applies when you put music on your iPod (instead, they have decided to let you put music on your iPod as a favor out of the kindness of their collective hearts). So, when Copyfight points out that Pope Benedict XVI was recently given an iPod with a bunch of songs preloaded, it's worth asking whether or not it was legal. The iPod was given by a radio station, that put a variety of musical selections on the device. As the report points out, it seems quite likely that they didn't buy separate versions of each of the songs, but (more likely) just ripped them from CDs the station had lying around. So if it's okay for the Pope, why isn't it okay for others?
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35 Comments

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  • identicon
    Q2D2, 8 Mar 2006 @ 11:45am

    No Subject Given

    "So if it's okay for the Pope, why isn't it okay for others?"
    As a recovering catholic I can answer this... "papal infalibility."

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Strega, 8 Mar 2006 @ 12:16pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      Assuming it's the same theory of when the former Pope was travelling, if you saw him live you were blessed, if you saw it on tape/newsfeed you missed out...so using that theory (heck it's as good as any the Church has come up with in the last 2 millenium) If his pope-ness got the ipod before someone else listened to it, he's the first so it was a gift. If someone else listened to it first, he smites them gives them a indulgence and Steve Job gets to go straight to heaven.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      rip, 8 Mar 2006 @ 12:34pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      now we just need for him to make it doctrine and we are all saved

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      King, 8 Mar 2006 @ 12:51pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      It's good to hear that you are recovering.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Dosquatch, 8 Mar 2006 @ 1:54pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      As a recovering catholic I can answer this... "papal infalibility."

      Sooooo..... if I bittorrent an iPod full of songs, but then ask my priest for absolution....

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 8 Mar 2006 @ 5:22pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      XD

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 8 Mar 2006 @ 6:50pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      I think he's also head of state for Vatican City, so he probably also has diplomatic immunity.

      Untouchable.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    freakengine, 8 Mar 2006 @ 1:01pm

    No Subject Given

    It's okay foir the pope as long as he doesn't use contraception. That Ipod wasn't delivered in a condom was it???

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 8 Mar 2006 @ 1:09pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      hes a thief!, a criminal!
      pirating songs supports terrorists

      seriously though i wonder what kind of music he listens to?

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Chris's against Chris, 8 Mar 2006 @ 1:19pm

        Re: No Subject Given

        Rumor has it that he just uses the device for Rush Limbaugh podcasts.

        Oh, and porn ...

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          dataguy, 8 Mar 2006 @ 1:25pm

          No Subject Given

          "it seems quite likely that they didn't buy separate versions of each of the songs"

          Would they not only have to purchase separate copies of the CDs involved (for those songs which are not available as a down load) but also give those CDs to the Pope, for the iPod to not be an illegal copy?

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            strega, 8 Mar 2006 @ 1:42pm

            Re: No Subject Given

            Yes, in theory you are supposed to own the CD though the argument still exists that the download is the only legal version since it existed "nowhere" prior to being put onto your iPod.

            Fair use isn't applicable if you listen to some argue. (it's my copy that I can record to another medium for personal use...the old lp to cassette argument)

            [ link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              cody h, 8 Mar 2006 @ 1:52pm

              Re: No Subject Given

              yeah, but todays music is digital and way better than an LP, so it makes it much worse to pirate well recorded music than it does to buy 1 LP and record 50 tapes of that LP for all of your friends. One of the first stereo systems I bought had tape to tape cassette recording and i don't recall hearing any whining back in the 80s about that. by the way, I download lots and lots of music, if I like it, I GO BUY IT. RIAA, YOU SUCK and should burn rot and fester in the fiery pits of hell. Sue the Pope, I am sure he can help you get there faster!

              [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 8 Mar 2006 @ 1:26pm

          Re: No Subject Given

          Kiddie porn? Or is that the priests department?

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 8 Mar 2006 @ 1:34pm

          Re: No Subject Given

          porn... of little boys... just kidding, the pope is the man (im not christian). he listens to classical music on it. also if i were RIAA i would sue his holiness just to get the point across. i would want them to, so more people would join me in my BOYCOTT OF RIAA!!! DONT BUY THEIR MUSIC!!!!! /rant

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    doctormino, 8 Mar 2006 @ 1:53pm

    i Pope

    I don't think downloading music or giving it away is a big problem. Michael Jackson (who has the qualifications to be a priest by the way) isn't going broke because we download songs. He's going broke because of bad financial decisions and paying off to many parents. It's not bad for the economy because this money we used to spend on CD's is now going to other small purchases. So Sony records can suck my big floppy disc. And people stop encoding your songs with WMA. It just pisses me off so much.
    -Thanks

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    chris, 8 Mar 2006 @ 1:57pm

    No Subject Given

    Why are you even bring up that issue? More people use programs that were like napster to steal songs everyday, who cares if the pope gets an iPod with music on it. As long he isnt selling the music on the iPod for a profit it really doesnt matter

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 9 Mar 2006 @ 1:34am

      Re: No Subject Given

      "More people use programs that were like napster to steal songs everyday..."

      You made a couple of typos.

      First, "every day" is two words.

      Second, you wrote "steal songs" instead of "commit copyright infringement". One is a crime, the other is not (YMMV according to where you live).

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 9 Mar 2006 @ 9:18am

        Re: No Subject Given

        this thread has gotten long

        but according to RIAA for it to be legal he would have to delete all the songs on it, and then he would have to buy the songs off of itunes for the ipod.

        having the seller give him the CDs is illegal cause your not supposed to resell your CDs, you dont own your CDs you just have a license to listen to them on certain equipment. copying them to your ipod is illegal and NOT fair use (but they allow it cause they are such great guys)

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    aidan, 8 Mar 2006 @ 2:09pm

    Am I the only one who thinks it isn't OK?

    Why should it be okay to give away an IPod full of preloaded songs? Unless you also give the original copies along with the IPod then it's not legal.

    I don't have an issue with that, personally.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      strega, 8 Mar 2006 @ 2:29pm

      Re: Am I the only one who thinks it isn't OK?

      nor do I, it's the legal question and whether the inquisition department of the RIAA and the labels will take this to the mat.

      personally, I feel they'll lose and just have to deal with it, the amount they're making from downloads vs the amount of dollars they lose from ipod rips isn't worth the fight (imo)

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Marcel de Jong (profile), 10 Mar 2006 @ 1:17am

      Re: Am I the only one who thinks it isn't OK?

      Why should it be okay to give away an IPod full of preloaded songs?
      I was thinking the same thing, isn't it illegal to give away/sell pre-loaded iPods, regardless?

      You know, I don't think the RIAA or any of those types of companies will ever sue the pope over this. Because they would know that they can't win. Their tactic is purely a bullying tactic, let's scare the little guys into bankruptcy.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Aldoliel, 8 Mar 2006 @ 2:34pm

    Political Immunity

    The pope is technically a head of state, therefore, if someone wanted to sue him, he would just tell them where to stick the law suit.

    Or if he's really clever, he'll take them to court himself for wasting his time (his holiness presiding naturally) then just damn them all to hell.
    Tomorrows headline perhaps?:
    "Pope Damns RIAA lawyers to hell, God and Satan Agree to terms - Dump them in purgatory"

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Jobe, 8 Mar 2006 @ 3:29pm

      Re: Political Immunity

      "Pope Damns RIAA lawyers to hell, God and Satan Agree to terms - Dump them in purgatory"
      LOL, that's pretty funny.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 8 Mar 2006 @ 4:36pm

    No Subject Given

    The pope compared to me has no advantage. I'm not christian so he's worth as much as a stranger to me. Please steal his iPod.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    DTC06, 8 Mar 2006 @ 4:49pm

    pope

    pope wears red fashion shoes/ scares me to death/

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Patriot, 8 Mar 2006 @ 10:04pm

    No Subject Given


    Oh how sweet an encyclical outlining the evils of the recording industry, and forbidding Roman Catholics from purchasing music produced by members of the RIAA, would be...

    Please RIAA, sue... Sue RIAA sue...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 8 Mar 2006 @ 11:52pm

      maybe the RIAA is biased & prejudiced? or not.

      if RIAA does NOT sue the Roman Catholic church (or the station giving the iPod) for this, but they DO sue others for doing the exact same thing... This will only prove several cases [b]to show that the RIAA is biased & prejudiced[/b] against anyone who is not of sincere Catholic religion... which in the UNITED STATES is illegal to treat anyone differently because of their religious beliefs.

      We may just see a lawsuit regarding this, just around the corner. Thanks for the great insight Mike!

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Gerk, 10 Mar 2006 @ 3:36pm

    sadly it all seems to be legal content, no precdie

    What is loaded on the iPod

    I think we'll have to let him get away with it this time, I don't see any offending material in here ....

    The pope's new 2-gigabyte digital audio player was already loaded with a sampling of the station’s programming in English, Italian and German, and musical compositions by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky.

    The iPod also contains an English-language radio drama on the life of St. Thomas a Becket and a 10-minute feature on the creation of Vatican Radio, with original sound clips of the inventor of the radio, Guglielmo Marconi, and Vatican Radio's founder, Pope Pius XI.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Josh Silly and Cody Billy, 2 Jun 2006 @ 5:56am

    Pope

    The pope is very unproffessional for doing this and we think he should be prosecuted just like everyone else that is stealing songs. He should be grounded from his Ipod forever, never to steal music again.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    frustrated, 24 Aug 2006 @ 7:14am

    pope

    Leave the guy alone. He received it as a gift! He didn't ask for it. Secondly, if you know the legal eagles in the Vatican and beyond they would have done it getting full permissions or probably paying for it in someway. Thirdly I doubt he has used it since. Lastly, I find the comments on Michael Jackson and priesthood extremely offensive, but I guess any defamatory comments about the pope or Catholics (Although any other religion is a first rate capital offence) are permissible under free speech no matter how we (Catholics) feel about them.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    BALLA, 18 Dec 2006 @ 6:45am

    who cares

    who cares... pirating music is fine the celebs are already rich enough

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Pope, 18 Dec 2006 @ 7:12am

    i am the pope bitches

    yall dont evenn no i am the pope nd damn straight i stole that music y not i got my boy jesus behind me to watch my back when yhall haters try to lock me up...fo shizzzzay son


    ps. my penis is doin it real big son!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    The BaLLiN Pope(my penis is doin it real how did u, 20 Dec 2006 @ 7:09am

    I AM THE REAL POPE

    ya i kno i stole those dam songs i couldnt find the THONG SONG so i got it off limewire so i cud listen while doin it real big bitchzzz. now u betta not be cumin to my house huntin me down in the Pope 50 Cent Mile ill pull out me pope sniper and shot yo ass down. Tj Is my Playa fo sho and yah betta not mess wit dat hoe hell smoke yo ass!

    ps: i own u tj

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    balla, 3 Jan 2007 @ 7:12am

    u dont own shit

    u dont own shit

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]


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