[rogue_librarian]

Originally Posted by gmw

I've seen it written on another thread that if I "buy" something then I "own" that something. This statement may be true by definition, perhaps even a tautology, but what is less clear in the case of books is exactly what you have purchased. What did you buy? What do you own?

That is exactly the central question, and right off the bat, one that hasn't been answered with any sufficient degree of clarity, at least over here (read: EU). Regardless of whether it's a "book" or "software", however, consumers in many jurisdictions still have certain inalienable rights, all the one-click sign-your-soul-away shrink-wrap "contract" substitutes notwithstanding (our courts don't look too kindly on those).

If you buy a paper book you buy, in effect, a lump of paper with ink spilled over it. That lump of paper is now yours to do with as you want - or so you may think, but that's not entirely true, more below.

It's almost true. The only boundaries that affect consumers are copyright law.

even your paper book comes with a whole lot of rules you didn't explicitly sign up for.

More or less. You can find those in the Copyright Act or your jurisdictions equivalent.

I don't, usually, have the right to photocopy a book (duplicate the novel) just because I think my dog may eat the original.

It depends. In my jurisdiction this is true for the whole book (unless it's out of print), but not for (even substantial) parts of it. Dog ate the last chapter? By all means, make a copy for your own personal and private use.

Similar things happen with a lot of things you "buy".

Not really. Neither patent nor trademark laws affect my rights as a buyer and consumer. The prohibition to re-engineer and sell clones etc. is really the least of my concerns.

I remind you that copyright and patent laws were introduced for a reason. These laws are intended to encourage enterprise.

No kidding. That would be worth a separate essay, but do you think they still serve that purpose? Does anyone really think that creators of copyrighted works would be less creative if copyright expired, say, 10 years after their death instead of 70? Or protection, much like with patents would be limited to a few years, say 25, renewable once?

Another right you will not have is the right to produce a play or movie from the work. You are not permitted to translate it into another language. And more.

Actually you do, you just mustn't publish or make publically available such derivative works. Even so, clearly a copyright restriction, not likely to affect your average consumer and reader.

how often have friends sent you huge emails of photos, many of which may well be copyrighted, or links to YouTube videos of the same.

Nothing wrong with that in my book (and, do I need to say it, jurisdiction).

You purchased a lump of paper with ink on it, along with many legal limitations on what you can do with it.

Not as many as you like to think. They're neatly outlined in the Copyright Act.

When I purchase an ebook, do I have any right to expect a life-time right to read the novel regardless of events?

Pretty much, yes. If we classify ebooks as "software" you have a right to use it indefinitely (in addition to a few other rights).

Perhaps DRM should concentrate on this aspect and effectively make the purchase price a sort of "stocking fee" for which they agree to carry that book for you for 5 years ... or whatever.

No, thanks. I take care of my own data protection and backup needs.

Whether you like it or not, you are now in a position to become a manufacturer, a publisher, and that has imposed on you the need to understand some of what is involved.

Unless you make those works publically available you are not a publisher. Merely making a backup copy, or device-shifting your original does not count.

So what did you buy?

I am afraid the courts are still out on that one. Germany does apply its book-pricing cartel on ebooks as well, while the European Union refuses to treat them as books (potentially lower sales tax than software, you see). Early days yet.