to put copy bought as a gift for someone else onto my computer? Opinions sought..

[BreastmilkDoesAFabLatte]

I've just bought several CDs as a gift, and I really want to be able to listen to some of the music myself.

Is it legal to rip the tracks I want onto my computer, simply for my own personal use, and without making any money from doing so? Or if it not illegal, is it ethical, or moral...?

That's a bit different to buying a present and thinking, I'll have some of that first.

I can't believe there's even a debate.

The posters saying it's not ethical/legal are too corporate for words. I doubt your friend would know you've done it, and as for the record companies/artist/retailer, they've got some cash out of it so you've done better than most. These days with spotify etc buying cd's or downloads is almost rendered complete redundant.

And at the end of the day, all you'll have copied is a load of 1's and 0's.

The only music I'd buy is vinyl - that's something wonderful and tangible. CD's and digital copies have negligible value and are massively overpriced.