Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Of course you can, and that's absolutely fine if that copy is for your own personal use, but you're not suggesting that it would be legal for you to give the photocopy to someone else, are you?
That's the problem with trying to compare this with paper books: if you have a paper book, you're free to pass it around to your friends as much as you want - there's only one book in circulation. It's the fact that multiple copies of the book get created when you do this with eBooks that's the issue.
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Not really, because the law still applies. If you are doing something against the law (or the way the law is enforced) is the issue. It's irrelevant as to the form of the object. The same law applies.
Let's turn it on it's head. The way DRM works is like this. When you purchase a book from Dramazon they come to your house and install a special locked bookcase that only you have the key to and only you can read from. You have the key and can read any book you want, but if your wife or children want to read one of your books they can't. They have to buy their own copy and have their own dramazon locked bookcase installed.
My argument is that just because the form is different, should not force me to do anything different than I would using a different form. Please note that copyright is regulated by law, not by format. DRM attempts to control my usage of my legally acquired copyrighted property.
This DRM path has been followed and failed for other industries. It will fail for publishers as well. They can either change their business practices and embrace the change and continue to profit from their business or those companies that do embrace the brave new world will take their place.
As long as they continue to treat me like a criminal I will continue to fight against their practices.
The fact is (as has been said thousands of times on this site) DRM does not prevent piracy or lost sales, it only punished the honest consumers and it must go.