Good Copy Bad Copy - What Constitutes Fair Use?

Before even going into a discussion about fair use, you need to consider why it continues to be an issue. And frankly, it's because the MPAA and RIAA are pathetic in how low they will go to fight copyright infringement, which poisons the well before everyone can sit down and think rationally.

I'm a believer in the notion that what you buy should belong to you, and you should be allowed to chop up/re-encode for a very limited audience. However, if you publish your recreation online for free, you should need permission (and if demanded, pay royalties), and if you sell the creation, you of course should pay royalties.

It's just that the MPAA and RIAA shouldn't be so damn greedy about the way they handle consumers.

Jam it back in, in the dark.