Quote:
Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8
Doesn't the problem stem from the fact that when we "buy" an audiobook, we actually are not buying it, but we are buying a license to it? The company, technically, still owns the audiobook? Or am I off base? So, the company can monkey (no offense, intended, tubemonkey) around with the files all, and in any way, that they want to.
I know that that is true with ebooks. I think that that is how Barnes & Noble (Nook), several years ago, got by with suddenly making their ebooks un-downloadable (and without any advance notice at all, that I remember (I still hate B&N because of that (I know, I know--I should have been backing up the files; but, I had backed up only a few of them); since then, I have not bought another ebook--or anything, for that matter--from B&N)).
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It's been a while since we've gone down this rabbit hole, and I'm not anxious to do it again.
Can we simply say for now that many of us believe our right to use the content legally does and should include the ability to consume it on the devices we choose (format and space shifting), and when content providers prevent us from doing that, we believe they are wrongly infringing on our rights and generally doing a Bad Thing.
ApK
p.s. at the risk of slipping farther into the hole, I'll point out that even with paper books, movies or record albums, copyright law and other doctrine gives consumers certain license, and restricts other stuff. We can for example, sell our copy of a book, but we may not give a public performance of the content, or make hundreds of copies and sell them.
Same idea, just different particular rights and abilities, and different ways of controlling and enforcing them.