[Macworld]

Post your comments for When your phone rings, the copyright police may come calling here

[maclia]

how different is this from sitting in a Caribou and listening to music on my iPhone without headphone? Sure, I'll probably annoy the people around me, but I don't see the difference.

[DogHouseDub]

Does this mean I owe royalties to Run DMC for all the days I walked around with a ghetto blaster on my shoulder?

[TowerTone]

I would think the blood and guts of the caribou you were sitting in would be more annoying. ;-)
Ironically, you could be listening to "Grimsby" or "Stinker".....

http://itunes.apple....379843&s=143441

[absolutegreek89]

This is so stupid.... They are going to far with this...

[cnjartist]

Here's one: what if you're the composer and you're using your own work as a ring tone? Does that mean every time you get a phone call does your carrier have to pay you royalties? If that's the case, I'll join the ASCAP, write my own ringtone in Garageband and then tell all my friends and family to call me every other minute while I'm out in public.

[mdawson]

I think that we are long overdue for challenging the broad, and false, definition of what constitutes a performance so that people in the music industry can no longer hide behind this curtain they put up in the 1920s. A recording is not a performance.

[6555]

Wow, talk about desperation to make money.

[RobK]

I'd contend it IS a performance if you are charging tickets or something like a concert for people to listen to your ringtone. Then what if it's a business line? Are you making money utilizing the ringtone?
I don't believe this tripe but playing devil's advocate.

[justme2]

Actually, a ringtone could be considered to be an advertisement for a particular tune -- so maybe the record labels should be paying US for using their music as ringtones. ;)

[mcaswell]

Does this not sound like an April Fool's joke?

[dudemac]

I agree. The more a song is played in public the more money the artist is likely to make. That's why its important for labels to buy spots on radio stations to get airtime. No one will buy something that they haven't heard before. Remember record stores that let you listen to the whole album before buying? Even the MP3 stores such as itunes give you a preview prior to purchase. I suppose under their logic this is also a performance if there is more than one person in the room. Either way this is really silly and I hope it is thrown out of court.

thedude

[flybynight]

Complete and utter BS. How far have our rights eroded and the lawyers are laughing all the way to the bank?

[chrishannon]

I guess I'll have to cancel the concert I had scheduled to play my ringtones. Hopefully I can track down all 8,500 people who bought tickets...