The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has reversed its position on CD ripping and now wants the practice outlawed.

In a filing to the US government concerning digital rights management the RIAA and other copyright industry associations said the fact that CD ripping is widespread does not make it legal. 

"Nor does the fact that permission to make a copy in particular circumstances is often or even routinely granted necessarily establish that the copying is a fair use when the copyright owner withholds that authorisation," the filing stated.

"In this regard, the statement attributed to counsel for copyright owners in the MGM v. Grokster case is simply a statement about authorisation, not about fair use."

This is a complete reversal of the RIAA's previous policy. In last year's Supreme Court MGM v. Grokster case a representative of the RIAA described ripping a CD and putting it on an iPod as "perfectly lawful".

"It is no secret that the entertainment 'oligopolists' are not happy about space-shifting and format-shifting," said the Electronic Frontier Foundation in a statement. "But surely ripping your own CDs to your own iPod passes muster. "