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Our books are from a variety of sources.
1. Some are texts uploaded by the authors themselves, or with the permission of the authors. They hold the copyright and it is up to them whether they give permission for personal downloads only. Any commercial use is forbidden without explicit permission.
2. Other books are CC, so are distributable only under the terms of the particular CC licence.
3. Yet others are public domain. Now it is obvious that people can do what they like (in a non-commercial way) with, say a PG text. And many public domain books are available for sale too. If uploaders have just done a spot of reformatting then there is no problem: the book remains in the public domain. If they have done extensive work on a text then there is a case for saying that they have made a derivative work.
But Tompe is conflating two different issues. Yes, you can publish your own version of Dickens or Jane Austen. They are in the Public Domain everywhere.
However, you cannot use a Project Gutenberg file as the source without complying with the Project Gutenberg regulations about commercial use. (Basically, they want a royalty for commercial use of their files and for the PG headers to be removed entirely.)
By parity of argument, our uploaders seem to have consented to sharing their work in a non-commercial way. But they have not given any permission for their work to be sold. I, for one, would be GROSSLY OFFENDED if my uploads were ripped off and sold. They are free gifts to forum members and visitors. And I feel dismayed by the mere suggestion that a gift be so corrupted.
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