Gateway Stands Up For Fair Use With "RipBurnRespect" Campaign

W hen we first decided to write this article, our intent was to show that Gateway had usurped Appleis old "Rip. Mix. Burn." campaign to promote its PCs. Gateway has launched a new campaign called "RipBurnRespect" that includes a dedicated Web site. While the similarities to Appleis slogan are certainly obvious, the campaign itself is about promoting and supporting Fair Use rights.

RipBurnRespect offers a no-nonsense look at the issues surrounding online piracy, digital rights (as opposed to the misnomer of "Digital Rights Management", or DRM), and includes an outright declaration of what Gateway "believes in." From the RipBurnRespect Web site:

Gateway believes:

  • You should have the right to make copies for your own use of any CD youive purchased legally -- so you can listen to it in different locations and have a backup if something happens to your original copy.
  • You should have the right to enjoy legally acquired music in any format you want – like converting CD tracks to MP3 files to take with you on a portable or car MP3 player.
  • You should have the right to download music from the Internet that youive paid for or thatis been made available for download by the artist or record label, and to burn CDs from these downloads for your own use.

The site also includes a section talking about artists, "Respecting the fan," a plain-language explanation of what Fair Use is, and more information for helping (Gatewayis) consumers get started with digital music. You can get more information on the RipBurnRespect campaign at its Web site.