I have found numerous pirated ebooks for free online. Please tell me the benefits of

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Yes, that is possible. But then we're at "brand new to e-reading with a penchant for obscure, hard-to-find texts." Well on our way to what I would consider a negligible demographic. *shrug*

Weeeeellll, in view of the discussion, I tootled on over to eBay, to see what sort of obscure, etc., texts we might find. What I see are highly, wildly popular books being sold by people that have apparently NO relationship whatsoever to the proper publishers, like M. Obama's new book, and a variety of others. I most certainly don't tend to believe that the person selling that book (in ePUB/MOBI format, amongst others) is an authorized seller. I didn't note any "obscure, hard-to-find" texts, but I freely admit, I wasn't searching for them particularly. I was just looking for eBooks, generally.

So, I think it would be hard for anyone to argue that eBay is abounding with legit books. But that's just my $.02. Obviously, nobody has reported the few sellers that I looked at.

Hitch

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Yes, that is possible. But then we're at "brand new to e-reading with a penchant for obscure, hard-to-find texts." Well on our way to what I would consider a negligible demographic. *shrug*

I started reading digital comics by searching for DC Comics' Wasteland series. On a site, aside from discussing the series, I found some files in a format I had never heard of called .CBZ. From there, a hobby was born. Needless to say, what I found were not official releases from the publisher.

I admit I am a negligible demographic. But hey, we exist.

[4691mls]

I had no idea ebooks were sold on eBay. I guess I've been living under a rock....

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Hitch

So, I think it would be hard for anyone to argue that eBay is abounding with legit books. But that's just my $.02. Obviously, nobody has reported the few sellers that I looked at.

AFAIR, eBay requires such reports to be made by the rights holder. Reports from disinterested bystanders with a passion for justice are ignored.

Basically, eBay is all, "Shocked, shocked that someone could be selling pirated material on eBay!" In the meantime, happily taking their cut of illegal sales.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

That would require an alternate definition of the word property. Copying something is an action. Copyright, i.e. the right to copy, is permission to perform a specific act. It's a pretty big legal fiction to consider an action property.

Tsk Tsk...clever but wrong. The "Copyright" is the property. The RIGHT to Copy is the property. Not the "action of copying".

"I" wrote "My Book" and I own the Copyright for my lifetime plus 75 years. Nobody else, without my permission (and presumed compensation) may copy my book (except for explicitly listed purposes laid out in the govt' copyright statute).

If you have copied my book, without my permission and or compensation....you have robbed me. Theft of services is still theft.

As it relates to the point of the argument I was making....I view holding "the copyright" to be holding property. It's just that it becomes "not property" after a government defined period of time.

How is it property? It has value. It belongs to me. I can sell or transfer that value to another person. My children can inherit that as well.

It is therefore property.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I had no idea ebooks were sold on eBay. I guess I've been living under a rock....

I used to buy used ppbks on what was called, what, HalfBay? Something like that?

I also did not know before today that ebooks were sold on eBay.

Basically, eBay is all, "Shocked, shocked that someone could be selling pirated material on eBay!" In the meantime, happily taking their cut of illegal sales.

Issy, to be fair to eBay and Amazon, et al: it's bloody difficult to be the honesty police. How can they force the issue? If I go to Macy's, and get some FGWPs, and want to resell those on eBay, who's going to police me, to ensure that they didn't fall off the back of a truck? How could it be proven? What, I have a receipt from Macy's? Is that good enough, even though FGWP aren't necessarily shown thereupon?

I don't blame either eBay or Amazon for the counterfeit, etc., property that shows up on their shores. It's impossible to police. The enormous appetite for "good deals" and uber-cheap prices, particularly for certain name-brand goods drives the grey market--and to solve that, you have to look to humanity itself. I've heard people speak equally dismissively and contemptously of the ebook-making firms that outsource to India for labor, as if they are doing "something evil," but when someone wants a print layout job, that not even a decade ago, cost $1600 USD, for $300, how the frack do they expect that to be done? Magic? Cauldrons and eye of newt? No--it's done by using laborers that will do the work for that kind of money.

Same exact thing when someone wants to buy a pair of "designer" jeans that retail for $400 for $80.00. How is the website to blame? What, they should turn up their noses, at "cheap" prices? So that some other website would feature that merchandise, instead? No no...the problem isn't the websites. It's the utter lack of honesty and integrity in the BUYERS. The websites simply service that need, and in terms of realistic logistics, I do not see how on earth they could ever police it themselves. I know that Amazon's removed products that I've reported--I can't speak to eBay.

Hitch

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by issybird

AFAIR, eBay requires such reports to be made by the rights holder. Reports from disinterested bystanders with a passion for justice are ignored.

Basically, eBay is all, "Shocked, shocked that someone could be selling pirated material on eBay!" In the meantime, happily taking their cut of illegal sales.

That's probably best for all. Otherwise I'm sure squabbling sellers would resort to using sock puppet accounts to report each other.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by leebase

"I" wrote "My Book" and I own the Copyright for my lifetime plus 75 years.

What country do you live in? I can't, off-hand, think of anywhere that has a "life+75" copyright term!

[leebase]

Originally Posted by HarryT

What country do you live in? I can't, off-hand, think of anywhere that has a "life+75" copyright term!

US....maybe I'm wrong on how long the +ExtraYears is

[HarryT]

Life+70.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Issy, to be fair to eBay and Amazon, et al: it's bloody difficult to be the honesty police.

I believe it's in EBay's and Amazon's best interest to police what is sold. They have all kinds of smarts and AI know how. They can sniff out, if they choose too, what is legit or not.

When I buy something from Amazon, I want to know I'm not buying counterfeit goods.

The reputation system helps, but there is more they could and should do.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by leebase

I believe it's in EBay's and Amazon's best interest to police what is sold. They have all kinds of smarts and AI know how. They can sniff out, if they choose too, what is legit or not.

When I buy something from Amazon, I want to know I'm not buying counterfeit goods.

The reputation system helps, but there is more they could and should do.

A website I used to go to wouldn't let you upload things like author photos unless you could prove you had copyright. They thought they were doing the right thing.

Their lawyers told them they were better off letting users upload and take things down when there are complaints. The other way could stick them with the liability if something was uploaded illegally and missed.

[Fbone]

I couldn't find a link on eBay to report the seller.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by leebase

How is it property? It has value. It belongs to me. I can sell or transfer that value to another person. My children can inherit that as well.

It is therefore property.

Not. You cannot sell the copyright. You will always own it until the day you die plus some years after. You can grant someone the exclusive or non-exclusive rights (or parts of the rights).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Not. You cannot sell the copyright. You will always own it until the day you die plus some years after. You can grant someone the exclusive or non-exclusive rights (or parts of the rights).

This is incorrect. In the US, UK, and presumably other countries too, a copyright holder can assign ownership of the copyright to someone else, either by sale or gift. All that's required to do this is a written statement to that effect signed by the copyright holder.