Quote:
Originally Posted by HamsterRage
So the question is: What does everyone think the ethics are of downloading ebook copies of books you already own on paper from P2P networks like BitTorrent?
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It's been hashed through several times here. Short answer: Mobileread users are split on the ethics, but agree that practical issues make any kind of repercussions unlikely if you don't redistribute those books.
There's some (thin) legal support for the acceptance of torrented/fileshared digital copies if there is no commercially available version. The issue of using a P2P network instead of scanning the book yourself, or hiring it done, hasn't been brought up in a courtroom yet.
The ethics, however, have little to no connection to the legal issues, and MR has exchanged several hundred comments on all aspects of those ethics. If you *want* to discuss Ethics of Downloading, be prepared for dozens of very strong opinions, with lots of supporting evidence, from several sides.
If, however, you just wanted to find out how much public censure there is for the idea of downloading digital copies of books you own, the answer is "not much; even the people who hate the activity have more practical things to worry about."