Quote:
Originally Posted by pdurrant
Now we're getting into things that differ from country to country. In the UK there is a clause in the copyright law that permits making a backup of a computer program. An ebook is not a computer program. Currently, in the UK it is not permitted to make a backup copy of an ebook, just as it is not permitted to copy a CD onto a hard disk.
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The problem is that misusing terminology (like stealing, etc) only adds to the confusion. People start letting the "industry" or the "pirates" convince them that they are allowed or not allowed to do things regardless of what the laws actually say.
For example, others in this thread have used the term "illegal downloading". What, exactly, does that mean? If you get rid of all the misinformation being spread, what part of copyright law actually makes downloading without permission illegal? As has been discussed in numerous other threads, if you really did make downloading without permission illegal, it is going to have a huge impact. The internet as it exists today would be virtually unusable. Everyone would potentially be guilty without even knowing it. This is another example of people hearing terminology misused and then becoming misinformed. Uploading is illegal, and uploading is what people are sued for. The term "downloading" is popularized (and even used in media), but leads people to think that things are illegal which actually aren't.