Massive wave of ebook piracy?

[ManosHandsOfFate]

Originally Posted by vaughnmr

Ok, I'm going to bite... It's ok to borrow the book, but not ok to torrent the ebook as a substitute? I'm having a real hard time getting my mind around this one... This is one case where he had the physical media, and was going to "fair use" the torrent? Why not?

It's a slippery slope. Next in line would be the library - "This book is in the library so I could borrow it. What the heck, I'll just grab the torrent."

[kennyc]

And that's the major issue with society these days.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by kennyc

And that's the major issue with society these days.

Sad, but true.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Sad, but true.

See, we do agree on some things.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by ManosHandsOfFate

It's a slippery slope. Next in line would be the library - "This book is in the library so I could borrow it. What the heck, I'll just grab the torrent."

Libraries have limited copies of each ebook which limits the number of people who can read them.

"Borrowing" an ebook from a torrent site is not legally or morally the same thing, since licenses weren't purchased for such activity.

[Krystian Galaj]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_disobedience

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by kennyc

See, we do agree on some things.

Never said we didn't.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Civil disobedience for the purpose of forcing test cases of laws into the courts is one thing. Lawbreaking for selfish purposes is totally another thing.

[crich70]

You might have a point. I guess time will tell, but do the publishers know or realize that? They might think that ebooks don't age etc. and therefore they stand to lose sales. I don't doubt that the technology will change eventually, probably into something we can't even imagine at the moment. Who could have forseen DVD players back when VHS was just getting started for example? Now they have Blue Ray and I doubt that will be the end of that technology either.

Originally Posted by kacir

30 years ago punch-cards and paper punch ribbons were popular.
Imagine a nice 8 inch floppy disk here with a book saved in a format that was popular 30 years ago. I doubt it will even be ASCII text (it might be in EBCDIC, but I do not know what version ;-) ). How do I open it?
Imagine a well preserved 200MB backup tape. Where do I get tape drive that would read 20 years old tapes?

Recently I had to open an old backup for industrial automation system from a 100MB IOmega zip drive. The only reason I was able to open it is that I am a packrat and I anticipated such situation so I salvaged an old zip drive from a trash when my coworkers were moving to a new office. I also have Jazz drive and Superdisk drive. You do not want to know how my coworkers joked about my boxes of "old junk".

You have obviously never tried to open a file older than a few years. 15 years from now you won't be able to open .lit or .mobi file.
Also bear in mind that the majority of e-books ... aehm ... "sold" today, are in fact licensed to you for limited time and limited number of devices. When they switch off DRM server and your old device dies you won't be able to red ... aehm ... "your" books.

At work I sometimes have to work with old data and old computers (industrial automation). Believe me, 15 years from now not a single computer that is used today will be in use. A new fancy e-ink reader has a lifetime of perhaps 5 years. After that you won't be able to purchase batteries, spare parts or support for it. There will be better and not-quite-100%-backward-compatible devices with better parameters for fraction of price.
On the other hand I have collection of paper books from my grandfather.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by crich70

You might have a point. I guess time will tell, but do the publishers know or realize that? They might think that ebooks don't age etc. and therefore they stand to lose sales. I don't doubt that the technology will change eventually, probably into something we can't even imagine at the moment. Who could have forseen DVD players back when VHS was just getting started for example? Now they have Blue Ray and I doubt that will be the end of that technology either.

Blue Ray probably won't have much of a chance against direct downloads.

[MrPLD]

I'd say that we're nearing the end of physical-media-specific players. We have entered into the age where data-only players and net speeds have become sufficient to suit our needs. Spinning media will no longer be relevant for playback.

After BluRay (is phased out) I suspect the only real purpose of a file existing on physical medium will be to allow it to be transported to a remote player - however, I strongly suspect that the big-media-players won't opt for that distribution system, instead preferring to stick with "Delivery by the net only".

Paul.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Blue Ray probably won't have much of a chance against direct downloads.

Especially with SD cards being so cheap and having no moving parts.
Netbooks and tablets already have no optical drive. I expect larger portables to drop bluray in two years.

Tablets, primarily, will kill bluray.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by MrPLD

I'd say that we're nearing the end of physical-media-specific players. We have entered into the age where data-only players and net speeds have become sufficient to suit our needs. Spinning media will no longer be relevant for playback.

Don't bet the farm....

Large portions of the good 'ol US of A still do not have broadband and probably will not in any near future.

Some of us still use POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) to join you folks and some of us (me.....) have enough crappy copper between us and the switches that we're lucky to get 22K connections with a 56K modem.

Phyisical media players aren't going anywhere soon.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

Legality isn't really something many people care about. It is what is easiest for them that counts.

And thus marks the breakdown of society.

"What is easiest for them" is NEVER what counts. That's the logic of the rats in the alleys and the flies on a carcass, not of humans in civilization. No one lives in isolation; it's time everyone on this planet--and especially those who take advantage of technology others provided for them and plug into these stoopid tubes--accepted that they are part of a society, and in a society, there are rules to follow.

Don't want to be part of society? Fine. But society is kinda tight, so give all our stuff back...

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Civil disobedience for the purpose of forcing test cases of laws into the courts is one thing. Lawbreaking for selfish purposes is totally another thing.

Exactly... that's the way people in a society do it.

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by ManosHandsOfFate

It's a slippery slope. Next in line would be the library - "This book is in the library so I could borrow it. What the heck, I'll just grab the torrent."

There is that, and from my understanding a library will buy X-number of digital copies/licenses. Geographic restrictions are hard enough for the average person to understand, now start throwing at them "Sorry we can't lend you x digital ebook for another 7 day until other people have finished".