As if free mp3 downloading wasn’t aggravation enough for the music industry…
Preloaded iPods prompt legal ponderings
By Kevin Maney, USA TODAY
A blossoming trade in Apple iPods and other digital devices pre-loaded with movies, TV shows and thousands of songs is raising alarms and legal questions. On eBay, you can buy an almost-new iPod with over 11,000 songs for $799. Alone, the gadget costs $400.
For the past couple of years, people have sold their used iPods and other music players filled with music on eBay and other auction sites with little notice. But lately, a new breed of seller has popped up, touting like-new iPods jammed full of content — for prices hundreds of dollars more than the cost of an untouched new iPod. (Related item: Kevin Maney’s blog)
Examples from eBay on Monday:
• A 60-gigabyte video iPod loaded with 11,800 songs, with a starting bid of $799. The iPod alone would cost about $400. “I don’t see how it’s different than selling a used CD,” seller Steve Brinn, a Cincinnati pediatrician, wrote in an e-mail to USA TODAY. “If the music industry asked me not to do it, I just wouldn’t do it.”