Quote:
Originally Posted by Katsunami
Yes, it's bullying, and no, it's not legal to share information like that; not as far as I know. I wonder how BREIN and CB are thinking to get away with it. Maybe they hope that they can at least get *some* information, from vendors who primarily live on Dutch (e)books, before this contract is shot down?
Wow. That'll basically bankrupt you.
I'm glad that in the Netherlands, it's obligatory to have an assurance against situations like this. It's called "Persoonlijke Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering"; a liberal translation would be "Insurance against being personally accountable". It protects you against having to pay for heavy damage you may cause accidentally. (As long as you don't do it every week.)
However, if the insurance needs to cover you, then your monthly fee will go up for several years. Therefore, if the damage is not too big (smaller than the total of the extra fee over these several years), people may opt to just leave the insurance out of it and just pay straight away if they have the money.
There are more people who want to see them dead and gone. As Doctorow said, they have a history of employing questionable practices.
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In Canada we have mandatory car insurance, and people do pay of small claims. My condo insurance is around $100 annually, and a $5000 damage claim will raise it $10, but it is not mandatory. Many people in my building are uninsured. One small claim can cost more than 50 years of insurance or 500 years of paying the extra. My insurance also covers the cost of my share of equipment breakdown repairs plus the usual theft and fire. I would only pay privately if it was very close to the deductible. Might even stretch to ereader related damages.
I wonder what Brein would do if someone in China pirated the books, watermark and all. My guess is nothing. Plus I am pretty sure this is a case of closing the barn door after the horse is gone.
Helen