Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
You've just illustrated the cause of my concern about this. I know that you're one of the "good guys" here, but even you just find it too tempting and think "where's the harm in just keeping it a few days longer...". What is an ebook novice likely to do? I think I'd do the same myself - it's just too much of a temptation.
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And what, exactly, is the harm done by keeping the ebook a few days longer? Is there a sale missing that the publisher would otherwise get? Are there taxes not being paid that otherwise would support the government?
I can't see that stripping the DRM from a library book is any different from taping a TV show to watch it later. Copying for time-shifting purpose was ruled a legal and reasonable use of copying technology.
The issue with keeping a library book "too long" isn't that the reader still has it; it's that other patrons of the library don't have access. With ebooks, this is simple: other patrons get access when the lending period is over; whether the first borrower can still read it is irrelevant. (In some cases, the first borrower could keep access by resetting the date on their device and not connecting online.)
Nobody's life is improved by insisting that the first borrower should re-borrow to read the last three chapters.
Regardless of my ethical stance on this, my practical activities are simple: I don't deal with DRM at all. If someday libraries come up with a system for loaning ebooks that doesn't involve giving a swarm of data to third parties I might change my mind, but for now, I can stick to reading ebooks that don't require DRM. If I run out of things to read, I may reconsider.