Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
I honestly do not think that "choosing not to download it again" has any relevence to the fact that it is your copy of the file, therefore in giving away or selling another copy of the book you are making a copy, and therefore violating copyright.
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If you have the keys to a store you used to work at, but don't use them to break in to steal, are you guilty of theft? (Not a perfect analogy, I know. If you have passcode to the restricted stacks of a university library at a university you no longer attend, are you guilty of crime because now someone else has your form job taking inventory? It's not your fault the library doesn't have a way for you to change the passcode.)
The RIAA wants to claim that having the opportunity for copyright infringement is the same as committing the crime, because it's too hard to prove actual infringement. But most of us would prefer crimes & lawsuits to be limited to actions, not potentialities.
If ebook servers aren't capable of transferring ownership of downloads (or even shutting them off after the download has been sold), that's a flaw in their security. Taking advantage of it could be illegal (or against EULA, which is a different category), but noting that it exists doesn't obligate anyone to act differently because of it.