Quote:
Originally Posted by jmaloney
I actually spoke to an Intellectual Property lawyer about this. The difference between physical books and ebooks is that the very act of downloading an ebook means that you're making a new copy of the ebook. The first sale doctrine only applies the the original product: I can't, for example, go out and buy a physical book, make copies of it and pass around those copies. This is why the legality of lending ebooks is not as straightforward.
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Who owns the original product? Macmillan? Fictionwise? Someone in between them?
When I buy an ebook, isn't my first download *my* original product? Certainly, if I buy a print-on-demand book, that printout is my original product to sell or loan as I wish, regardless of who has the original digital file. How is my download of an ebook I purchased different from a printout I purchased?