My perspective on buying books with DRM

[gweeks]

Originally Posted by murg

Of course, flying from Austria to Washington, D.C isn't a problem for you?

And the LoC doesn't lend books, at least not to the general public. At least this was the case the last time I was there.

It won't lend to the general public directly. I've gotten books from them via ILL several times.

Greg

[RobertDDL]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Harry Ransom Centre's Watch File has this info:

Thank you, I hadn't known about this resource! I've contacted Sharland now. If anything comes out of it from which we can learn something, I'll let you all know!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by RobertDDL

Thank you, I hadn't known about this resource! I've contacted Sharland now. If anything comes out of it from which we can learn something, I'll let you all know!

It seems their email address is now tso@btconnect.com

[covingtoncat73]

I've been happy with Amazon and find my Kindle convenient to use. I only share eBooks with the other member of my household, my mother. She has a Kindle tied to my account that I gave her for Christmas a couple of years ago. I pay for my books, even when they are over $10 (I have to really be sure I want to read it if it is that pricey before I buy it, usually I will pay more only because it is a new release by a favorite author). I have too much to read to worry about trying to find something obscure. I did start out with a Kobo and still have that for the few books I bought from Kobo.

All of the above means I am not a Pirate, even by the strictest of views, I would think, and that I am not, currently, being caused any noticeable inconvenience by DRM. What I object to is some of the holier-than-thou attitudes on display here. I find it unbelievable that someone would consider me criminally culpable if I were, being human, to misplace my Kindle or if my mother misplaced the one I gave her and someone picked up the lost Kindle and spread my books about. Have you never lost anything or been careless in your life? It happens! People have very busy lives these days, for the most part, and can get distracted. It doesn't make them criminals! You may say that would be unlikely and, sure, but it is possible.

Also, childrens' librarians in Britain can't have Storytime, at least not without getting permission which, no doubt, would involve paying an exorbitant fee? Are you kidding me?

/All this is to say I am a person who feels guilty about buying a used pBook because the author isn't getting money (at least if I haven't already bought the eBook) and you're raising MY blood pressure.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

Also, childrens' librarians in Britain can't have Storytime, at least not without getting permission which, no doubt, would involve paying an exorbitant fee? Are you kidding me?

Nope - no kidding. Reading books out loud in a public place (which a library is) constitutes a "public performance" of the work, which requires the copyright holder's permission.

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Nope - no kidding. Reading books out loud in a public place (which a library is) constitutes a "public performance" of the work, which requires the copyright holder's permission.

Sounds quite dystopian to me! Awful!

[covingtoncat73]

I feel that any law that prevents children from learning to love books in that classic way (library story time) is fundamentally evil.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

Sounds quite dystopian to me! Awful!

I've no idea where you live, but I'm a little surprised to learn that you can read books out loud in public without any restrictions. Performance restrictions are a standard part of copyright law.

[covingtoncat73]

I believe, though it is true I am not 100% sure, that it is okay if you're not making money off of it, particularly if it is a library or a school. Fair use and all that. I haven't read in public, myself, but I do know the public libraries here do storytimes.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

I believe, though it is true I am not 100% sure, that it is okay if you're not making money off of it, particularly if it is a library or a school. Fair use and all that. I haven't read in public, myself, but I do know the public libraries here do storytimes.

Schools are fine, because they aren't public spaces. But libraries are.

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Schools are fine, because they aren't public spaces. But libraries are.

Well, it seems to be okay for public libraries here.

[howyoudoin]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Schools are fine, because they aren't public spaces. But libraries are.

What if it's a community school? IMO taxpayer funded schools and taxpayer funded libraries should have the same status as public/private spaces.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by howyoudoin

What if it's a community school? IMO taxpayer funded schools and taxpayer funded libraries should have the same status as public/private spaces.

I'm sure we can all play the "yes, but what if..." game until we all get tired of it, but the law (in the UK at least) is very clear: a public performance of a copyrighted work requires the copyright holder's permission. Wikipedia defines a "public performance" as follows:

Performances are considered "public" if they take place in a public place and the audience is outside of a normal circle of friends and family, including concerts, nightclubs, restaurants etc.

[covingtoncat73]

As to libraries, the answer is it appears to be Fair Use in the U.S. It is a shame about the U.K. Very unfair. Anyway, here is a good article explaining why it is fair use. I realize you probably don't believe anything is fair use.

[AnemicOak]

Copyright Tips for Programming Librarians: Storytimes

Librarians generally don’t ask if storytelling is an infringement of copyright. Don’t worry—it isn’t, but have you ever considered why? Telling a story aloud to a group of people technically is a public performance, one of the exclusive rights of the rights holder. Rights holder could sue libraries for an unauthorized public performance, but thankfully, they don’t. Why?

The benefit of storytelling to the public far outweighs the interests of the rights holder to collect a fee. Storytelling is a fair use. Digging down a bit deeper, let’s explain why this is so.

Fair use is an exception to the copyright law that allows for the use of a protected work without prior authorization. It is based on the real circumstances that are occurring at the time. The four factors of fair use provide a method for determining if a use is fair when we ask the “why” question.

EDIT: Oops, I see covingtoncat73 posted the same article while I was typing.