Quote:
Originally Posted by bill_mchale
You walk into a book store, take a copy off the shelf and sneak it out of the store without paying for it. As soon as you walk out, you throw it in the trash can. Now make the same argument to the judge?
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The thing is, the example using a computer file is not the same as using a physical object. Nobody is losing anything when the file that was downloaded was deleted without being used in any way. When you toss out that pBook, the store looses money, the publisher looses money, and the author looses money. The file was download and that may have been illegal. But the file was deleted and never looked at. So in that case, nobody lost any money at all. Morally, it's ok. Legally, no.
Now what do you think if I download an eBook just to read the first two chapters to decide if I want to purchase it or not. I then read the first two chapters, decide I didn't like it and delete it. I know that's illegal. But it's sampling so I know if I want to purchase this book or not. But this is almost the same thing as my going to the book store and standing there reading the first two chapters. Still morally ok. Legally nope.
And when I do purchase eBooks, I do strip the DRM for my own usage. And given that most DRM schemes allow more then one person to have access, I can legally allow my wife to read it if she wants.