If he sold the distribution rights to a publisher, I'm not sure he can make that decision. That said, I really do like Mark's take on this topic and applaud him for having realistic views. A honor system is hard to implement legally, but an approach like, "It's okay to give a copy to one friend if you bought the book." is exactly the kind of handling that addresses my biggest issues with copyrights and DRM.
I see this sometimes done with video games where you buy a license and get a second, giftable one as a bonus. I almost always buy games like that at the full price instead of waiting for a sale. Has this ever been done with e-books?
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