Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great
If all of these examples are things I can reasonably do to format shift my paper book, then why can’t I format shift my ebook? The same property rights apply! I may not own the “contents” of the ebook file, but I do own the file in exactly the same way I own the paper.
|
They are different things entirely.
Rebinding a book is simply doing things to the medium that you do indeed own - you're not changing the contents.
Changing the format of an eBook is
not doing something to the eBook file (which you equally own), but is changing the contents of that file. In copyright terms, you are creating a "derived work", and you cannot do that without the permission of the copyright holder. After converting the content, you have two files - the original and the converted one. Compare that to rebinding a book, where you are doing things to the original only.
Of course, in practical terms, nobody is going to be bothered if you change the format of an eBook for your own private use, but you certainly can't pass that converted file on to anyone else, or re-sell it.