Quote:
Originally Posted by rbruce1314
So, let's get this clear: are you saying that in the case of the two scenarios below, both acts are equally criminal under UK law at the present?
Scenario1
BUY hard copy of book; scan pages into PC; make epub for later use.
Scenario2
BORROW chosen book from Open Library; copy pages into PC; make epub for later use.
If that is indeed the case, the law is even more stupid than I thought, because if both are legally just as bad, then one may as well go down the 'borrow/copy' route and save one's dosh....... - even though one is clearly more MORALLY right than the other. Hey Ho!!!
And on that topic, is DRM-stripping in itself an illegal act? I assume it is, but if not, that opens up another area for acquiring without format-shifting.........
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Neither are criminal if done for personal use only. But they are both civil violations of copyright. The copyright holder would have to sue you. So yes, they are equally illegal. (I Am Not A Lawyer).
And yes, I'd agree that ethically the second is worse. But the first can be made equivalent if the paper book is sold on after making the copy.
Is DRM stripping illegal? If done for purely personal use, it's not a criminal offence. But could the copyright holder sue you? I suspect that they could.
But since there have been no cases, no-one's 100% sure what the law means in practice.