Digital Piracy Hits eBook Industry

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

So, I downloaded all the pirate editions - including Deathly Hallows - which I had the day before the official release of the dead tree version.

The lack of an official ebook version might be a "fair use" defense in the US, although it is a stretch. From How Team Tenenbaum missed a chance to shape P2P fair use law:

Likewise, a defendant who used the new file-sharing networks in the technological interregnum before digital media could be purchased legally, but who later shifted to paid outlets, might also be able to rely on the defense.

[fugazied]

Originally Posted by cassidym

And the article further bstates "Recent statistics have shown that consumers who purchase an e-reader buy more books than those who stick with traditional bound volumes. Amazon reports that Kindle owners buy, on average, 3.1 times as many books on the site as other customers." and goes on to say that piracy may be a 'necessary evil'

3.1 times as much That's pretty crazy huh. IMO if you give people an easy way to purchase electronically they will do so in greater quantities than they would have bought in print.

If you give them no way to buy it electronically they will pirate.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, I'm afraid that I can't agree with you that, but it's entirely unrelated to copyright terms. When record companies lobbied the British government to increase music performance copyright beyond the current 50 years, they were very soundly rebuffed by the government's advisory committee on copyright.

And once they were rebuffed, did they not attempt to accomplish the same thing with the EU legislature, so that Britain would be nudged to put it in anyway in the name of "EU Harmonization"?

[Wickedkitten]

Book piracy has been going on for well over a decade now, it's just become more mainstream now that e-book readers are huge.

[sabredog]

I tried to buy the next release in an SF series from Fictionwise last night. Never had issues with purchasing books in the series before until the dreaded geographic restrictions notice popped up to stare down at me.

Got the same book at Diesel at the same price 5 minutes later without issue.

Faced with these issues and often complicated workarounds there is little wonder that readers who want the book but cannot purchase turn to other means in frustration

[cian]

Originally Posted by sabredog

Faced with these issues and often complicated workarounds there is little wonder that readers who want the book but cannot purchase turn to other means in frustration

Or the other experience of buying an ebook and discovering that its so poorly formatted, or proof read, that you have to fix the thing... Once I have fixed it, its very tempting to chuck it on the filesharing sites so other people benefit...

[markbot]

One reason why PC Games that don't have a major online component are dying is because of piracy. The developers would rather make games for the consoles than have 90% of the PC version pirated. The PC version is often delayed by several months because of piracy. I see a similar fate awaiting ebooks.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by markbot

One reason why PC Games that don't have a major online component are dying is because of piracy. The developers would rather make games for the consoles than have 90% of the PC version pirated. The PC version is often delayed by several months because of piracy. I see a similar fate awaiting ebooks.

/begin sarcasm/

Because nobody ever pirated a console game. Never happened. No way.

/end sarcasm/

VATOS, SWAG, SPARE, STRANGE, CLANDESTINE, DAGGER...just a few of your friendly neighborhood console game ripping groups

[calvin-c]

Originally Posted by markbot

One reason why PC Games that don't have a major online component are dying is because of piracy. The developers would rather make games for the consoles than have 90% of the PC version pirated. The PC version is often delayed by several months because of piracy. I see a similar fate awaiting ebooks.

Evidence? I don't know anyone who buys a game & then hands out copies. IMO PC games are dying because shareware is getting better. Although I have seen it done at LAN parties, now that I think of it. But those are mostly online games anyway, right? (Or at least networked games, but since I don't play games I'm not sure whether they used an Internet gaming service or simply networked with each other.)

[Krystian Galaj]

Some types of PC games may currently be in decline - but in general games on PC aren't dying.

[Connallmac]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

/begin sarcasm/

Because nobody ever pirated a console game. Never happened. No way.

/end sarcasm/

VATOS, SWAG, SPARE, STRANGE, CLANDESTINE, DAGGER...just a few of your friendly neighborhood console game ripping groups

Circle gets the square! Win.

[humble tim]

honestly i download ebooks (and other things) because i dont like paying for them. thats the blunt truth. i do partly feel that the music, gaming and film industries are fat and bloated in many ways, this is my personal (partial) self-justification for downloading.

specifically for ebooks, however, i download them because i live in New Zealand and we often dont get books (except best sellers which i almost always despise) until over a year after their release. not to download would be llike waiting a year to open a present which is figuratively in the next room, very annoying. also, i only read a fraction of what i download and i still buy books sometimes because i love the feel of paper in my hands and i love turning the pages. staring at an e-reader is just as bad as watching excessive tv or playing too many video games...and you cant even read it in the bath :P.

i cant give my real name (the fbi are always watching! haha)

regards,

humble tim

ps: the layout of this website is the same as that of the one i use to find illegal downloads. it feels...comforting

[humble tim]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

/begin sarcasm/

Because nobody ever pirated a console game. Never happened. No way.

/end sarcasm/

VATOS, SWAG, SPARE, STRANGE, CLANDESTINE, DAGGER...just a few of your friendly neighborhood console game ripping groups

awesome! now your sig is mine! mouhahaha

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by humble tim

awesome! now your sig is mine! mouhahaha

Pirate! Pirate! You all saw him!!! Hunt him down and fine him a billion dollars for every song he ever whistled, and a trillion for every time he ever remembered a film he saw!!!!

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

There's a VERY SIMPLE solution for all this. Make photocopiers, word processing apps (someone could, after all, sit there and type it in), screen capturers, OCR apps and digital cameras illegal to own or operate. Then create the Mother Of All DRM and make it illegal to sell an ebook without MOAD installed.



Derek

Nop, you can make like Spanish government (stimulated by SGAE: Spain Author General Society and CEDRO): we pay a fee at all these electronic devices and the entities collect the money "for the authors"