Quoting Jean Takabayashi <jeant@lava.net>:

> i didn't want to buy certain cds, because i was afraid i wouldn't be able to
> rip tracks from them. i don't normally carry cds around, but rip them onto
> my computer and make my ipod do the work, so a cd would be more trouble if i
> couldn't.  but then i bought a drama cd that was copy protected.  can't
> actually see why they'd bother. i don't think too many people rip drama
> tracks, and i certainly wasn't intending to, so i didn't care.
>  

I never carried CDs, ever.  I started using walkmans, then moved to using MD 
players when MD players became affordable, and now I've moved to the ipod for 
over a year now.  I don't carry CDs because for one they're hard to carry, and 
secondly import CDs just cost so damn much and I would hate losing one.  
Especially during school when cd players getting stolen from bags was almost 
daily occurance.  If anything, these cccds are just causing more trouble than 
they're worth and make the average Joe even less likely to buy the originals, 
imho, especially now that mp3 players are getting popular.     


> and the copy protection let me rip a track too.  it had a song, so i made
> the attempt.  this copy protection appears to be a slight waste of money...

I was quite lucky that so far all my cd drives, including my new Matsushita 
dvdram in my notebook, will read them without any of the "tricks" mentioned.  
The key seems to be that the drive must be capable of the right reading mode, 
and then setting it to that mode with a ripper program which supports it.  EAC 
seems to be the recommended program amongst the mass, which I was using 
before, 
 
but even in iTunes I never had to fiddle with it to get it to read/rip a 
cccd.  
 
Some copy-protection this is. :)