One, is it illegal for me to purchase a CD or DVD and make a copy of it? Answer I am almost certain is NO. (I actually prefer to use a “copy” and store the original safely away.)

But what if I give that copy to a friend? Have I infringed on the property rights or is this considered Fair Use?

Two, if I see an interesting article on the internet, copy and paste it into an email and send it to a friend to read, is that an infringement, Fair Use?

Am I missing something here.

Theoretically in order to have any sort of valid claim to the music and any settlement gained from people ‘illegally’ taking the data, record companies should have to tag music in such an unalterable way that states the original creator of the music and the holder of the legal copyright, and, every time such music is heard in a legal public venue (i.e. during a concert, from the radio, on the phone) the author, creator, and legal holder should have to be stated as this creates ownership and thus establishes the chain possession that would make it legal to sue anyone taking it away from you. Licenses embedded in the music is insufficient because music can be easily played without it by a variety of music players, and if you are using one of those players then it is possible to say you didnt know about its licensing. Also, you cannot ‘hear’ an embedded license over the radio or at a concert. Music heard at a concert is a little different than other forms because there is a pretty decent establishment of ownership since the band singing the music is likely to have ownership, but even then this is not entirely true because cover bands should be subject to laws dealing with plagiarism. Also, even if a band does give the credits as to where their lyrics came from, I’ve never once heard a one say they had obtained permission to duplicate the songs from their legal copyright holders..

Participating in the taking of a property right owned by another (the right to control who can use a work of art for other than a fair use - parody, etc.) is theft. You don’t have an ownership right to use it and the rightful owner has not granted you a license to use it. Taking it for your own use without payment is theft.

It’s not so hard to understand as you make it out to be. Just because an item is intellectual property doesn’t mean it is not PROPERTY, whihc means the exclusive right to control an item, tangible or intangible.