Quote:
Originally Posted by murraypaul
There is a fundamental difference, it is not just a question of words.
With a pBook, I have actual ownership of a physical object, and my right to use or dispose of that object cannot be restricted by the copyright owner.
I only have a license to the content carried within the book.
They can prevent me creating another copy of it, certainly, but they have no say in whether I sell it, lend it, put it on a shelf or set fire to it.
That simply isn't true with an eBook, there is no owned portion, it is all licensed.
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That's only because in most cases there is nothing physical to own.
You can buy an ebook on CD, and you'll own the piece of polycarbonate just like you'd own the wood pulp and glue.
Even with a download file, you're free to delete the file or give the file to a friend. They just can't use it.
The argument of "buy versus license" is either one of failing to recognize that digital things and physical things have different inherent properties, and therefore differences in the rules concerning their use, or one of failing to to understand the nature of ones rights to use other people's IP, and how to go about getting those rights modified.