Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
That's precisely why I question the claim made in this thread that it's "generous" to "share" your ebooks with your friends. Sure, your friend probably does think you're being generous, but the problem is that it's not your property that you're so generously giving away - it's the author's. Both the law and - IMHO - ethical considerations should, to my mind, dictate that it's the author who has the right to determine who to give copies of his or her books away to, and nobody else.
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Ethics are a lot different than law in that with law there's a standard. If we disagree about what is legal we can look it up and see what the law says. If we don't think it gives a clear answer to our questions we can ask a judge. There's a way to decide what is legal and what is not.
With ethics that isn't the case. We have to figure it out for ourselves.
Most of us learned when we were growing up that sharing with our friends was a good thing. Most of us who grew up in families that read learned to share books. We learned that it's a good and friendly thing to do and that not sharing is a stingy and not very nice thing to do. I'm not sure that adds up to ethical behavior but it's close enough for me in this situation.
If I read a good book and tell my neighbor and he asks to read my copy I have no problem with lending it to him. If I refused I'd feel like I was being selfish and so would my neighbor. Neighborliness has it's own ethics.
Now something new comes along; ebooks. Publishers and sellers tell us we don't have the right to share with our neighbors anymore. I feel for them. I'm sure they have their reasons, but I'm not buying into their ethics. Yes, to buy their books I have to say I agree to abide by their rules but that's just another of their rules. Agree or don't buy. So agreeing is part of the price I pay.
Once paid, the book is mine. I know, they say it's not mine. I'm just paying for the right to read it. But nah! It's mine.
I am an honest person. I nearly always buy the books I read. My friends and neighbors are honest people. They nearly always buy theirs. But sometimes we share with each other. I don't send my books to pirate sites and I wouldn't lend one to someone I thought might do that. I'm happy to pay for books because I love to read and I want authors and publishers to make good livings so they can keep me supplied in books.
I guess to me ethical behavior means doing what I think is right, not what some lawyer working for some publisher thinks is right. It's also not doing what you think is right, just as you probably won't do what I think is right. That's the world we find ourselves in and I'm fine with it.
Barry