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Originally Posted by Ben Thornton
Illegal - often. Wrong - sometimes. Stolen - never.
Because making a copy isn't stealing.
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If someone goes online and downloads an album that they didn't pay for (either for the mp3s or a CD) they aren't making a copy. They're stealing.
And that's what happens most of the time. Most people download stuff they do not own in another format. If I have a paperback, I don't need an e-book of it.
Some do, like you apparently. But you can't act like that's the majority of people downloading books. Most are getting books they don't own.
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I have a paper book.
If I scan that, use OCR, get an electronic copy for my own use - stealing?
What if a friend did that and I use their e-copy - stealing?
What if someone on-line has done that, and I use their e-copy - stealing?
In all cases, the author has been paid when I bought my paper copy.
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Scanning it is making an illegal copy. Not theft. I'll grant you that.
The downloading a copy of something you already own is murkier. With CDs, you're probably fine as courts have held that one can burn a copy of a CD they own for the car, or rip it to MP3s--as long as they still own the copy they paid for. i.e. Backups are legal.
As far as I know, we don't have such a ruling for books since e-books are relatively new. So downloading a copy of something you own is murky--if courts rule that making an electronic copy of a book you own is legal, then it's clearly not theft.
If they rule differently than they have with music, and say you don't have a right to back it up, then it's illegal. That would be saying that a physical book and e-book are seperate products and owning a paper book doesn't entitle you to make an electronic copy.
And that could happen. Look at movies. While you can make a copy of your CDs (burn a CD or rip to MP3s) courts have ruled that you cannot do that with DVDs or Blurays, and that by passing the copy prevention technology on them is illegal.
So it remains to be seen what happens with books.
Though again I think it's mostly a minor issue. The majority of people downloading books, albums, movies etc. are NOT downloading copies of stuff they own. They're stealing things the want to own without paying for.