Pirated books on broken device

Sparrow · 06-12-2008, 06:52 AM

Do manufacturers take any notice of what is stored on broken devices sent in for repair?

Just wondering if they're supposed to report likely copyright infringements (e.g. Harry Potter) to the local constabulary.

(Just to make clear, this is a purely academic enquiry - my device is not currently in need of repair

.)

Greg Anos · 06-12-2008, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Do manufacturers take any notice of what is stored on broken devices sent in for repair?

Just wondering if they're supposed to report likely copyright infringements (e.g. Harry Potter) to the local constabulary.

(Just to make clear, this is a purely academic enquiry - my device is not currently in need of repair

.)

To maintain proper control of any purchased e-book, I stongly recommend that your e-books be kept on a removeable chip. That way you can send a device in for repair and not tempt the repairman...(I suppose this has applicability for pirate e-books...)

HarryT · 06-12-2008, 07:50 AM

There have been a number of high-profile cases in the UK (eg that of the former pop star "Gary Glitter") of illegal content being reported to the police (and people imprisoned as a result) when a PC was being repaired. We are talking there about criminal content, however (eg child porn), rather than civil offences such as copyright infringement.

Ervserver · 06-12-2008, 10:58 PM

I've heard of a few people getting nailed with illegal copies of Windows, never ebooks or music.......yet

spooky69 · 06-17-2008, 03:45 PM

I pirate a lot of crap, and I'm relatively careful when I feel it's necessary (like I do with music and, to a much lesser extent, movies). In this case, I definitely wouldn't worry about it since nobody, to my knowledge, has been prosecuted for pirating e-books. Also, it's good to remember that the guy fixing your device probably just wants to go home and smoke pot, so he's not going to care one way or the other about what you have on there.

mores · 06-17-2008, 03:52 PM

Since I believe, that there are maybe 0,000001% of all People on this planet who are truly pure, I think the worst will be that the repairman will copy a pirated book for his personal use, then just repair the device.

Just don't expect the book to be still on there when you get it back, often they format / reinstall the OS to make sure it's not one of the user's files that fubar'ed the device.

RWood · 06-17-2008, 05:11 PM

For a lot of devices (read an MP3 player of a friend) they returned it to him empty. Everything was zapped it seemed. What they did was to replace the insides and return it to him inside his old case. That way they maintained a rapid turnaround and repaired the insides on other stations. I would assume that this may be the case here.

06-12-2008, 06:52 AM	#1
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	Pirated books on broken device Do manufacturers take any notice of what is stored on broken devices sent in for repair? Just wondering if they're supposed to report likely copyright infringements (e.g. Harry Potter) to the local constabulary. (Just to make clear, this is a purely academic enquiry - my device is not currently in need of repair .)

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06-12-2008, 07:50 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	There have been a number of high-profile cases in the UK (eg that of the former pop star "Gary Glitter") of illegal content being reported to the police (and people imprisoned as a result) when a PC was being repaired. We are talking there about criminal content, however (eg child porn), rather than civil offences such as copyright infringement.

06-12-2008, 10:58 PM	#4
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	I've heard of a few people getting nailed with illegal copies of Windows, never ebooks or music.......yet

06-17-2008, 03:45 PM	#5
spooky69 Stats: Posts: 233 Karma: 1189 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: Sony PRS-505	I pirate a lot of crap, and I'm relatively careful when I feel it's necessary (like I do with music and, to a much lesser extent, movies). In this case, I definitely wouldn't worry about it since nobody, to my knowledge, has been prosecuted for pirating e-books. Also, it's good to remember that the guy fixing your device probably just wants to go home and smoke pot, so he's not going to care one way or the other about what you have on there.

06-17-2008, 03:52 PM	#6
mores Guru Posts: 834 Karma: 102419 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Vienna, Austria Device: iPhone	Since I believe, that there are maybe 0,000001% of all People on this planet who are truly pure, I think the worst will be that the repairman will copy a pirated book for his personal use, then just repair the device. Just don't expect the book to be still on there when you get it back, often they format / reinstall the OS to make sure it's not one of the user's files that fubar'ed the device.

06-17-2008, 05:11 PM	#7
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	For a lot of devices (read an MP3 player of a friend) they returned it to him empty. Everything was zapped it seemed. What they did was to replace the insides and return it to him inside his old case. That way they maintained a rapid turnaround and repaired the insides on other stations. I would assume that this may be the case here.