Do you know where to find illegal e-book content?

[lordvetinari2]

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

Imagine if the book industry were to act like the RIAA... they would post observers at every location with a copy machine. They would ask for copy machines to track copies made. They would supoena local copying stores for video records of patrons that are suspected of making illegal copies. They would sue the heck out of everyone they can find. So my question becomes whether they could actually elminate the illegal sources we are talking about (no!), or if they would actually make more money (no!).

In Spain, for some years now (at least 6, I remember my first year at Uni), photocopying up to 10% of a book for educational purposes (i.e., not for making profit) has been perfectly legal, because the shop (that means the users, of course) already paid a canon for copies.

Last month a law was passed in Spain by which for every CD/DVD (they have been trying to include hard disks, memory cards, PMP... and even scanners/printers -interestingly enough, only for copying disc covers, not for books-, but I am not sure whether they succeded) you buy, you pay a good percentage to the local RIAA / MPAA (SGAE). It's not like you are actually allowed to copy anything, everyone pays in case someone copies. You want to burn a Linux distro? You pay anyway. You want to burn your own music? You pay anyway. Everyone seems pretty upset about all this around here, but it looks like no one knew we were already paying extra for old AV tapes. It's just updating the law.

All this laws just exemplify how much we Spaniards read, anyway. You can copy books partially, say a short story / article, but do not even think of copying an album partially, say a track. No one cares, basically. I guess the situation will change when ebook devices go mainstream.

The French government tried to pass a similar law, by which you paid a canon for CDs/DVDs, BUT you were allowed to copy stuff as long as it was for private uses (the law did not direcly said this, of course, it was just a loophole). Of course, the local RIAA / MPAA hurried to lobby the government into paying WITHOUT being allowed to copy.
However, the finally-passed French law hides a little surprise. It forces all DRM systems to be open. Not the content, of course, just the systems. Say, you have an iRiver, but want to listen to your iTunes tracks there. The result: Apple has threatened to leave their French users to rot.

It's so much fun

[morituri]

Yes, I do know of several sources if illegal ebooks. I enjoy re-reading some of the classics (that I already own) that I wouldn't read again if I didn't have them on my Treo. Some of these ebooks are not available in legal formats - unlike music, we don't yet have sufficient inventory of ebooks to make it truly accessible to the public..

[yvanleterrible]

Funny how no one want's to admit to piracy, but here is food for thought.

We have all been raised by two fundamental cultural principles deeply ingrained in ourselves . Music is free to hear on the radio... Reading is free in the libraries...
As a kid that is all you can afford. Getting rid of this is an adult decision.

Give one an inch and he'll take a foot... and then a yard... and then a mile...
And voilà, the perfect recipe for piracy.

[Robert Marquard]

MS Reader is demolishing the OeB standard (as usual for MS) and Mobipocket is following them. It is very subtle, but it is a deliberate attack on yet another standard.

Illegal ebook downloads are alive and well.
I do not use them because i get enough legal free ebooks for my taste.

[b_k]

I for myself would have no problem, if I downloaded a book which is standing in my bookshelf or rotting on the attic. I don't want to pay twice or for every device (same for music). Plus in Germany you already pay fees for private copies on CD/DVD media, Flash cards, PCs, Scanners, Printers ... (insert your favorite device here).

To cash the fees and then saying "home use copy is illegal" is inconsequent in my eyes. Either I pay the fee and copy or I am forbidden to copy and don't have to pay a fee on nearly every sort of electronic/digital memory media. Not the other way around. And so i handle that for my own.

And you already mentioned another advantage of "pirated" copies. They are DRM-free and therefore compatible with a wide range of devices/reader software. I don't want the publisher have to decide what device i have to buy to view the books I paid already for.

For DRM, someone will always find a bug or another way around it, it's simply senseless to use it.

Just my 2 Cents.

[VillageReader]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Funny how no one want's to admit to piracy, but here is food for thought.

We have all been raised by two fundamental cultural principles deeply ingrained in ourselves . Music is free to hear on the radio... Reading is free in the libraries...
As a kid that is all you can afford. Getting rid of this is an adult decision.

Give one an inch and he'll take a foot... and then a yard... and then a mile...
And voilà, the perfect recipe for piracy.

Well, there is a difference.

When you sent to buy an LP, any turntable would work.
When you buy a CD, any CD player will work (alas, computers have added difficulty due to protection).
But when you buy an e-book, it is tied to a device for "content protection". Hunh?
I'm with the person that said they are never going to sell to the person that wants to pay zero <insert currency here>. Why not make it easy for the rest of the consumers to buy a book? Do the electronics giants think their market wars don't have an affect on the size of the market?

FWIW.

[caxandra]

Originally Posted by Xsavior

I'm personally hoping to soon see an electronic copy bundled with every pbook out there, wether it is by including a copy in the book (tiny disc, Micro dot, etc) or with a simple serial number or code to then download it from the publisher's web site.

Thank you! Could you please let the publishers understand this?!



Everyone here makes a good case.

I stopped buying paper when I got my iriver story.
Bookshelfs are just not in fashion, and we only got one at home. for the dvd´s =)

So I bought a couple of books, and I even bought some on Ebay,but that made me wonder when I got them, was that legal?
She could just sell them over and over again, and i downloaded them from rapidshare so...
But i read my books and I'm happy =)


But I can find so much pirated out there, scns, rewrites and pinched. I just want to be able to buy some good ebooks here in Sweden, and they just havent picked up that torch here yet... Just the selfhelp kinds I really can do without...

[BeTePoK]

Just keep in mind, that until there will be resources offering pirated ebooks - there will be people who will download it and use without pay. It's simple.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by caxandra

Thank you! Could you please let the publishers understand this?!

You realise that the person you're asking to do something posted that almost four years ago?

[Kris777]

http://freakbits.com/the-10-most-pir...s-of-2009-0831

1. Kamasutra

2. Adobe Photoshop Secrets

3. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Amazing Sex

4. The Lost Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci

5. Solar House – A Guide for the Solar Designer

6. Before Pornography – Erotic Writing In Early Modern England

7. Twilight – Complete Series

8. How To Get Anyone To Say YES – The Science Of Influence

9. Nude Photography – The Art And The Craft

10. Fix It – How To Do All Those Little Repair Jobs Around The Home

[saoir]

Originally Posted by b_k

To cash the fees and then saying "home use copy is illegal" is inconsequent in my eyes. Either I pay the fee and copy or I am forbidden to copy and don't have to pay a fee on nearly every sort of electronic/digital memory media. Not the other way around. And so i handle that for my own.

And you already mentioned another advantage of "pirated" copies. They are DRM-free and therefore compatible with a wide range of devices/reader software. I don't want the publisher have to decide what device i have to buy to view the books I paid already for.

For DRM, someone will always find a bug or another way around it, it's simply senseless to use it.

Just my 2 Cents.

You are 100% right!
The pirate sites will explode in the next few years and downloads with also explode. People resent being screwed and will take whatever steps they need to take to avoid it.

The publishers are willfully ignoring:
- The vast majority of people want to pay for a legal copy
- All they want is fair value
- The great majority of illegal copies of music tracks are never really used, they are accumulated for the buzz.
- Illegal downloaders are also the biggest spenders on legit music

I believe the Publishers are not only choosing to willfully ignore the music history of the last 10 years. I believe they are also planning an effort to milk buyers for second hand sales, or wipe out lending TOTALLY as a practice, thereby thinking they will bring in a huge increase in sales. It is so so naive as it will just result in the same old same old.. more and more illegal copies.

[wodin]

I own several ebook reading devices, PC, JetBook, K2, PRS505, cell phones, etc. and find myself using different devices in different situations. E.g. home in bed, waiting in a line, waiting for my wife while she shops.

With the current mishmash of formats, DRM, different PIDs on various devices; I find it expedient to purchase ebooks in a format that I know I can strip the DRM from (secure PRC), strip the DRM import it into Calibre and convert it to whatever format I need.

Illegal? Probably, although I believe the jury is still out in the US.

Fair use? As far as I’m concerned, I bought it, I’ll read it wherever I want to.

Ask me to send you a copy? No chance!

The only problem I have is keeping the various devices in sync.

[caxandra]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You realise that the person you're asking to do something posted that almost four years ago?

I know
But it was more of a statement than an suggestion =)

And now the thread is a live again .

[caxandra]

Originally Posted by wodin

Fair use? As far as I’m concerned, I bought it, I’ll read it wherever I want to.

Ask me to send you a copy? No chance!

Perfectly right!

But if I should ever get a friend that also uses ebook readers, I would probably lend her/him one if I can borrow one from him/her.
(did that sound sad? I do have friends, just not the ebook kind There still in paperbacks.)

Put not put it on Pirate Bay or something =)

[Slite]

As long as publishers will not understand that e-books should be available in multiple formats, without DRM and cheaper than paperbacks. There will be a pirated version of just about any book out there.

Simple as that