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Originally Posted by Moonraker
Format shifting is just that -- be it converting your cds to mp3s to play on your mp3 player, or scanning a paper book that you own to read on your ebook reader. If the laws say differently in some countries -- then that law's an ass.
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I agree with you, but the question was not "is it legal for me to scan my own paper book and convert it into an e-book", but "is it legal for me to download somebody else's version of an e-book if I own a paper version of that book". One might have a case to argue that that first action is legal (although I rather doubt it), but the second is unquestionable illegal because the person who's uploaded the book does not have the right to do so legitimately.
However, I stand by my purely personal opinion that, whilst it is illegal, I don't personally consider it to be unethical.
I do have qualms about the ethics of the person who's uploaded the book in the first place, however, because without doubt a lot of people will download it who do
not own the paper version, and that's wrong without a doubt.