Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great
I think you have it backwards. I am granted my rights to my property from common law, not copyright law. Copyright law restricts certain rights over my property to the copyright holder. It doesn't grant me rights, it takes them away.
|
No, he doesn't.
Quote:
|
Okay, if I can make a complete copy of a paper book (with the print enlarged in order to be read easier), then why can't I convert an ebook from a format I can't use to one I can? Why is one covered under fair use, but not the other?
|
Because what you own in the case of a paper book is the physical media it is printed on. You do
not own the
content. That is owned by the copyright holder, who has specifically granted certain rights to others. In the case of a paper book, she has granted rights to a publisher to reproduce, distribute, and sell it, in an exchange for a fee.
You can copy and share small parts of the book (like quotations or part of a review). This is what is covered by "Fair Use". You can make a complete large print copy of the book for your own use (though technically, you probably can't then pass along the original book to another. Not that anyone will care in that instance.)
You
cannot scan the complete book to electronic form and distribute the electronic copy. The author (or the publisher, depending upon the contract) retains the
reproduction rights. The physical book is yours to fold, spindle, mutilate, or pass along, as you chose. The content in the book is not.
As an extension, you can't convert an ebook from one format to another, because you have been granted the right to purchase and read it
in a specific format. (This is applicable basically to DRM protected books.)
Now, all this is theory. I practice, I doubt anyone will care if you convert an ebook from one format to another for your own reading convenience. But if you convert a book from one format (say, DRM protected), into another (unprotected), and then merrily start copying and sharing with your friends, various folks are likely to care a lot.
Copyright isn't taking rights away from you, because the rights covered weren't yours in the first place.
______
Dennis