Quote:
Originally Posted by tompe
It is allowed ethically and legally to give copies (e.g. tape copies of LP) to your friends (in most countries). I really do not see that having given copied to your friends you would not be allowed or that it would be an ethical problem to later sell the LP (keeping no copies yourself).
And I do not really see how the situation with keeping copies yourself can be different ethically.
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I am not aware of any jurisdiction where it is legal to give copies to friends. I express no opinion on the ethics of doing so. But one worthwhile observation is]that taking this to an extreme would likely result in the sale of exactly one single copy of any given work. Even dealing with the real world, there is the likelihood of a not insignificant impact on sales if this was the case.
I doubt that giving copies wholesale to family and friends could be allowed even in a redesigned "sane" system of copyright. However, it is arguable that such a system could include a more limited right to share within households or families. Or perhaps licences covering use on a reasonable number of devices within a household or family. Certainly it is a fiction to think that families are going to purchase multiple copies of the same books, software or music if they can avoid it. Some of the more realistic vendors already recognise this.