Are Fair Use Rights coming to an end?

[Ron.]

Originally Posted by jbjb

I've just installed Kindle for Mac 1.6 on my MacBook (the first time a Kindle app has been installed on this Mac), and I find that it loses registration every time I restart it, and I end up having to delete and re-download the books I'm reading. (It also registers as "Kindle for Mac 2", "... 3" etc...).

I have had the Calibre plugin installed, but not any longer.

Does anyone know if this is related to the comments on Alf's blog, or is it just a Kindle for Mac bug?

/JB

The same for me on two different Laptops, every time I start the app I have to re-register it. I contacted Kindle support and they gave me nothing but useless suggestions so I uninstalled it and installed version 1.4.1

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If I buy an eBook with no DRM and I want to sell it because I will never be reading it again, how do I do this? How do I take away my ability to download it again? How can I have it moved from my account to the seller's account? I know I can delete all copies and never download it again. But it's the fact that I have access to download it after the sale that's the issue.

When you sell a house, how can you take away your ability to enter it again? How can you remove your awareness of the weak spots in the window frames? If you were an apartment manager with a master key on file with a local locksmith, how can you prevent him from giving you another copy of it?

If I sell a book to my friend, I can still borrow that book and go to a copy shop & make a copy. Does that mean I can't legally sell it? After all, I still might have access and the ability to make copies.

It's not your problem if a website refuses to remove your access to content you no longer own. You should be able to send them a note that says, "I'm done with this; take it off my account."

Removing access from digital purchases is a minor, technical issue that publishers haven't been willing to support because they want to promote the idea of one user per sale. That is not, however, how sales work in the US--and licenses that work on "no sharing" terms have to be spelled out and within certain legal frameworks. The idea of "it is a violation of copyright to allow your spouse to read this on your laptop" is ridiculous (and false)--but that's what Fictionwise's terms say. It's especially problematic because you *can't* buy a second copy to share with other people in your household.

[JSWolf]

I know technically it is possible to have an eBook moved from one account to another. But you're correct, the publishers don't want that as it would mean eBooks could be sold second hand.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

1) Only one major online vendor exclusively sells mobi.
2) "most of the other online ebook vendors" = probably quite a few but, certainly more than one.

So, yeah... I think you'll find them in ePub. Stop being so contrary.

Sometimes Amazon does manage to get away with making eBooks exclusive. And exclusive means no ePub and having to pay Amazon if you want it.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Sometimes Amazon does manage to get away with making eBooks exclusive. And exclusive means no ePub and having to pay Amazon if you want it.

Quit it. Nothing I said gave any suggestion that Amazon had an exclusive on Angry Robot books. Ever. I specifically said they are being sold by "most other ebook vendors."

Your Amazon and mobi aversion is not applicable here. Their books are available in epub AND mobi from a number of different vendors... including DRM-Free ePub from their own website. Most of their ebooks are available (everywhere) for under $5.

Buy something from them, or don't buy something from them, but stop being argumentative just to be argumentative. Sheesh!

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Buy something from them, or don't buy something from them, but stop being argumentative just to be argumentative. Sheesh!

This is why I thank god for the ignore feature on forums. Use it & your forum browsing will become much more enjoyable!

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

This is why I thank god for the ignore feature on forums. Use it & your forum browsing will become much more enjoyable!

I'll second that... tried first a few months ago and MR became much more enjoyable...

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

This is why I thank god for the ignore feature on forums. Use it & your forum browsing will become much more enjoyable!

Originally Posted by elcreative

I'll second that... tried first a few months ago and MR became much more enjoyable...

I have a question about this. When you apply the ignore, does that mean you do not see posts from that person?

Carol

[ApK]

Originally Posted by sadievan

I have a question about this. When you apply the ignore, does that mean you do not see posts from that person?

Carol

Go ahead and try it on one of us, it's easy enough to undo, and see how the posts appear. Note, you'll still see the content of an ignored person's posts if they are quoted by someone else.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by sadievan

I have a question about this. When you apply the ignore, does that mean you do not see posts from that person?

You don't see the text in their posts. You still see their avatar (unless you hide it with something like adblock), and you still see a blank post with their name on it in the thread.

And if you're desperate to see what they say in one particular discussion, you can hit the quote-reply and read their post, and then hit the back button.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

It's true that all DRM schemes can be broken.

The question is how easy it is to do it. What the statement says is that it's becoming much harder to do. And there may come a time when it becomes practically impossible unless other things are broken first.

And, more practically, it just takes incredible dedication, time, and effort for those who work on it in the first place, and then are expected (encouraged? ) to keep at the cat-and-mouse game for as long as it takes.

[DianNC]

Originally Posted by kjk

And, more practically, it just takes incredible dedication, time, and effort for those who work on it in the first place, and then are expected (encouraged? ) to keep at the cat-and-mouse game for as long as it takes.

They've been doing that with DVDs (and now BD discs) for years. Yet, no matter what the studios come up with, there's usually a crack within a day or two. For some, I think, it's both a challenge and a hobby

[DianNC]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

Copyright makes no distinction between physical IP and digital IP.



It's the exact same reason that we have resale rights on other things. First-sale doctrine is what says you can resell your paperback. There's nothing in first-sale doctrine that says you can't resell an ebook.

The ONLY thing that stops you from being able to resell your ebook is DRM. There are no legal restrictions against doing so. It is perfectly legal right now to resell a non-DRM ebook.

That's a good point. If I buy a $25 movie from Amazon, I'm able to sell it once I've watched it and no longer have use for it. I'm not paying $25 for a disc, however, but rather the content on the disc (the movie). And were I to sell it, the buyer would have no problem popping it into the player of his choice and watching it -- and he wouldn't have to remove the copyright protection first!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by DianNC

And were I to sell it, the buyer would have no problem popping it into the player of his choice and watching it -- and he wouldn't have to remove the copyright protection first!

Actually, if it's a US DVD and you sell it to someone in (say) the UK, he might well have a problem watching it.

DVDs are encrypted, and all DVD players have to know the (no longer secret) key to decode the encryption. In addition, there are DVD region codes that mean that a disk make for one region (US) won't play in a DVD player made fore another region (Europe). And vice-versa.

It's only because manufacturer have built in back-doors to DVD players that this isn't more of a problem. For many DVD players it's possible to find a sequence of key presses on their remote control to turn the player into a 'multi-region' player that effectively disables the region controls.

And then there's the way DVDs can lock out controls while specific content plays when you first start playing a DVD. Ugh...


DVDs are an example of a universal DRM scheme. It's still a pain. Even if most of the time most people don't notice it. Except when they have to wait a couple of minutes for the anti-piracy trailers to play on the DVD they've just /bought/, which those who pirate the content don't have to!

[DianNC]

Well, I would only sell to those who could play it and advertise as such. (Actually, I've never sold a DVD lol!)

As for the anti-piracy messages and various warnings, when I backup my collection I copy main movie only and don't have to sit through all that. The backups are definitely unsellable since fer sure I'd have the FBI hot on my trail! I'm resourceful, but not crazy!!!