[DrNefario]

I try harder than most people to stay within the law, I think, but honestly I'm not quite sure when I'm breaking it. What am I actually allowed to do?

I live in Britain. Project Gutenberg (PG) is in the US. MR is in Canada.

1 - I download a book from PG or MR for my own use. Is it my responsibility to check that it's out of copyright in the UK? Or is that fine - as in actually properly legal, not as in tolerated - as long as I don't distribute it further?

2 - I download a free book from a trustworthy vendor who generally sells geo-restricted material. Is it still my responsibility to know its copyright status in the UK?

3 - I buy a book from a trustworthy vendor who generally sells geo-restricted material. What about then? Surely I have to assume that publishers have the rights to the books they're selling me? Is it the publisher/vendor's responsibility or is it mine?

I have reason to doubt the copyright status of items in all three categories. Obviously there are plenty of books in 1 which aren't out of copyright in the UK, but I regularly get directed to PG by reputable UK sources. My local library, for instance.

For 2, some vendors seem to offer books from PG without really vetting them. I downloaded the two PG Agatha Christie books from Kobo and I'm fairly certain they aren't out of copyright in the UK (although I believed one of them was until quite recently). I don't know if the copyright holder approved, but I'm guessing not.

The third category is similar. A US publisher is offering a collection of works that are out of copyright in the US and not in the UK. This collection is for sale on Amazon UK, and I have no real way of knowing if they have the necessary rights. I don't know whether I should buy this collection while its on offer or not. I might as well just pirate it if my legal position is exactly the same.