In a move that’s really somewhat of a surprise – even considering the source – the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed a lawsuit that claims copyright infringement for ripping legally purchased CDs to a home computer for personal use:

Now, in an unusual case in which an Arizona recipient of an RIAA letter has fought back in court rather than write a check to avoid hefty legal fees, the industry is taking its argument against music sharing one step further: In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer.

— Download Uproar: Record Industry Goes After Personal Use, Washington Post, Sunday, December 30, 2007

I thought this was covered by the same fair-use laws that allow you to use a Tivo or VCR to record shows for watching later, or copying music to cassette tapes, because your car doesn’t have CD player.

Just when you think the RIAA can’t bury its head any deeper in the sand, they find a new shovel to make that hole deeper…

Update 1/9/2007: The Post admits is got the story wrong.