[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I did not say I wanted to own the intellectual property; I want to own the file. I want the exact same rights over this ebook file that I have over my pbooks. I did not say I want to distribute the ebook. Please do not accuse me of illegal activities.

I'm certainly not accusing you of illegal activities. I'm simply saying that if you "owned" the eBook then those activities which I listed would be legal for you to do, because it would be your property to do with as you wished. It isn't your property, hence it is not legal for you to do those things.

And HarryT, yes, I can own a file. If it was not possible for me to own it, then there would be no need for the license agreement to specifically say that ownership rights are not transferred in the purchase of the ebook.

Ownership rights to the book are not transferred. The file is yours - you can do whatever you want to it. Copy it, etc. But you have no rights to the "contents" of the file. This is exactly the same as with a printed book.

In all honesty, this is not an established area of law. I have asked a couple lawyers. If you don't believe me, then cite the law or court decision that proves me wrong. That is, unless you are now going to claim to be a lawyer as well as a software developer.

There's no need to be rude. I don't have to prove you wrong because I completely agree with you - you don't own a downloaded book. Where we differ is your expectation that you should own it. I disagree with you because you can never own someone else's intellectual properly.