Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
We've been told, by people who appear to be knowledgeable in such matters, that although writing and distribution of a DRM-removal tool is illegal in the US under the DMCA, its actual use by an individual to remove DRM from a book which they're legally bought, is apparently not.
It's definitely illegal where I live, in the UK.
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Here is a snippet from a summary from the US copyright office
Quote:
Making or selling devices or services that
are used to circumvent either category of technological measure is prohibited in certain
circumstances, described below. As to the act of circumvention in itself, the provision
prohibits circumventing the first category of technological measures, but not the
second.
This distinction was employed to assure that the public will have the continued
ability to make fair use of copyrighted works. Since copying of a work may be a fair use
under appropriate circumstances, section 1201 does not prohibit the act of circumventing
a technological measure that prevents copying. By contrast, since the fair use
doctrine is not a defense to the act of gaining unauthorized access to a work, the act of
circumventing a technological measure in order to gain access is prohibited.
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http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf
There is that "Fair Use" term again. Everyone wants to claim that they can use and distribute anything they want to because it's "Fair Use" but nobody wants to actually read about Fair Use and understand what it is. Of course it is NOT something that allows you to use and distribute copyrighted works in full as you please.
Really the point here is not even what's legal or not. Why do there need to be laws to state the obvious - that you shouldn't steal other people's stuff? What if you just respected other people's stuff like you want everyone to respect your stuff? The people on this forum who are making up excuses for their behavior KNOW it's wrong, that's the entire reason for their dreaming up excuses. Their own morality is saying in their head "you know you shouldn't steal."
If you want books published as ebooks and they're not, then write to the publishers and don't buy their products until they publish ebook versions. There is a lot of material available electronically and LEGALLY that you can use to distract yourself with. There's no dying children depending on an illegal ebook download to live through the next 12 hours. There is no reason why you can't content yourself to read something else or get a hard copy.