Quote:
Originally Posted by tompe
That you do it for free does not imply that people can use the work commercially (ethically).
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In the case of scanning or otherwise producing a copy of a copyrighted work, the creator is not "other people." He is the owner of the work. And if you make an
unauthorized transcription, the resulting product belongs to him.
Putting it in physical terms, if you borrow a book from the library and photocopy it, the author can go to court and make you turn the photocopy over to the court. The court can decide to destroy the copy, or give it to the author. This is unquestionably true if you made the photocopy with the intent of passing it on to someone else, even for free. In fact, if you do that, you will also be liable for fines, penalties and damages. You don't get to get paid for your effort and costs in making the copy.
It is no different than if you took the unpublished manuscript of the book, copied it, and returned it to the author. The author owns the copy you made. And you have no claim against the author for your time & trouble in making the copy.
And so with the pirated ebook - it does not make any difference that it is a file rather than a photocopy.