Quote:
Originally Posted by eschwartz
I think AnotherCat meant me...
|
It now looks like I did too... But though you have now been outed I trust there are no hard feelings, as in my opinion you also post a lot of useful stuff as well.
@cybmole
It is in my view incorrect to think that "
there is no legal way to acquire an e-book version of even an out-of-print copy unless you actually own it & scan it yourself" as it depends on the circumstances, including on where you are (I know you said that was an "AFAIK" so were likely leaving the question as being open rather than making a claim it was so).
First, I would not make the assumption that all "out of print" paper books are still in copyright. Of course, it may be that a particular book is, or it may be that it is not.
Furthermore, the rights of the copyright holder of works, whether in print or not, differ by country, those rights varying from very protectionist (into which group the USA would likely fall; but even so it states explicit tests for establishing "fair use" in the US Code and which do not prohibit copying for others), through the more liberal (the interpretation of the legislation by courts in my own country indicate that they think that the public has liberal rights of access to works of art, even if in copyright), to the "anything goes" where the holder has no rights at all.
In the end the real possibility of getting the permission of the rights holder of an "out of print" or any other book to copy, even for others, also exists and that even if you have to borrow someone elses book to copy.