Quote:
Originally Posted by Ankh
It is hard to speak of a market when there is an officially sponsored obstacle to sales. Which is, here, the institution of public library. Every book borrowed is a sale lost, isn't it?
We, as a society, do not treat books as any other goods offered for sale.
|
True, but keep in mind that a book a curious phenomenon. It is not a physical thing in the same was as shovel or hammer. It is a physical embodiment of intellectual property. What you are getting when you read a book is information -- either learning or entertainment etc. When you put the book away you still have that (or much of it) that has now become part of you.
You can borrow the neighbors hammer and build a house or you can buy a hammer and build a house. You can't really build a house with a virtual hammer, but you can get the same experience from a virtual book.