[darylbrayman]

Artistic ownership, what a pile of bull, what about my ownership? I recently bought a hardcover copy of Stephen King’s book “Under the dome”. Notice the word bought, it is mine to do with as I please, within reason. I read the book, then I can chose to loan it to my son. When he finishes it he will return it (I hope) and I will loan it to my wife. That physical copy of that book is my property.

Now, let’s assume I bought the same book in a digital form. After reading it, what are my options? I can loan it to my wife as we share a Sony bookstore account, assuming I bought it at the Sony store. Could I loan it to my son? No because I can only authorize six devices. My wife and I each have a reader, a couple of computers, etc… I can’t afford to waste my authorizations on mere family members.

So, due to the idiotic rules put in place by the publishing industry, it’s time for me to become a criminal. I take my book and go through the rather long and convoluted process of stripping the DRM. Then I can loan my book to my son. Now since the publishing industry has all ready turned me into a criminal, why not go one step further and throw the book out onto the darknet?

I for one have never put a stripped book out onto the darknet. Have I ever gotten a book there, that I wanted and couldn’t get any other way? Yes I have. Do I believe in the darknet and book piracy? No I don’t, but the publishing industry is certainly making it easier to justify the occasional trip there.

So the statement by novelist Sherman Alexie: “'With the open-source culture on the Internet, the idea of ownership — of artistic ownership — goes away. It terrifies me.” Don't make me me laugh. Until you start worrying about my ownership rights, you can just go cry me a river!