Non-DRM ebooks as library bequest?

[Ken Maltby]

I guess libraries still have books come to them from estates. Many of our
most famous libraries got their start that way, including the Library Of
Congress.

I wonder if a large collection of ebooks that have had their DRM removed
were to be donated to a library, if there would be an issue?

Would the library be able to offer the ebooks to all? Would it have to be
only one copy of the ebook "out on loan" at a time? Would it be one per
branch? There would be no practical limit.

Could the donator prohibit the library from placing DRM on the donated
ebooks?

Just wondering.

Luck;
Ken

[Argel]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

I wonder if a large collection of ebooks that have had their DRM removed were to be donated to a library, if there would be an issue?

No issue at all. It's just that the estate of the deceased would be liable to pay damages for copyright theft, the executors of the will would be liable to imprisonment for ditto if they actually made the transfer of the illegally altered files and any library that accepted them would find itself the subject of a lawsuit.

[Ken Maltby]

The legal situation would depend on your location, of course.
( The UK sounding a lot too litigious, for my tastes. )

Luck;
Ken

[tench]

I think the legal situation would likely be similar in the US, but even assuming that the ebooks were all in the public domain, I would think that most libraries would not have the technological capability of loaning out ebooks in the way you are talking about. Most libraries use Overdrive right now, which (as I understand it) basically provides the lending service for the library. Most libraries would probably not want to take the trouble or expense of setting up their own individual lending service for ebooks.

[Tamara]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

The legal situation would depend on your location, of course.
( The UK sounding a lot too litigious, for my tastes. )

Luck;
Ken

The same would apply in the US.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

I wonder if a large collection of ebooks that have had their DRM removed
were to be donated to a library, if there would be an issue?

In the US, removing DRM is technically illegal, so yes, that would be an issue.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by tench

I think the legal situation would likely be similar in the US, but even assuming that the ebooks were all in the public domain, I would think that most libraries would not have the technological capability of loaning out ebooks in the way you are talking about. Most libraries use Overdrive right now, which (as I understand it) basically provides the lending service for the library. Most libraries would probably not want to take the trouble or expense of setting up their own individual lending service for ebooks.

If they were public domain, there wouldn't need to be any special loaning procedure. Just make them available and let people download them without restrictions. You wouldn't even need the Library, actually.

[tench]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

If they were public domain, there wouldn't need to be any special loaning procedure. Just make them available and let people download them without restrictions. You wouldn't even need the Library, actually.

I agree, obviously there are plenty of places to get free public domain ebooks (like on this forum!). I was just pointing out to the OP that a library probably would not be interested in lending non-DRM ebooks in the way he suggests, regardless of the legal situation of the books themselves.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by tench

I agree, obviously there are plenty of places to get free public domain ebooks (like on this forum!). I was just pointing out to the OP that a library probably would not be interested in lending non-DRM ebooks in the way he suggests, regardless of the legal situation of the books themselves.

Yes, that's true. Didn't mean to get picky.