What is piracy?

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by sabredog

That is about what I do when ever I see his posts.

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by VicLavigne

Submitting an ebook to a distribution site may well qualify as piracy, depending on its copyright status and any notices about rights to distribution. I think it is safe to submit a copy of "Alice in Wonderland" to any distribution site you want, as long as your copy does not have copywrited addendums or annotations in it. Submission of a free ebook obtained from Kindle might be an offense if the copyright is still in effect.

Vic

You are probably right that uploading a work that is in the "public domain" to an ebook distribution site is safe, depending on your local laws. But how local shall we go? Are we meant to allow others to sanction the yearnings of our own minds????? Is downloading/reading going to become a criminal offense as many wish it to?

Copyright was not written by the people or for the people. The people do not need a right to copy, they have always copied what they wished.

Copyright was written for a minority who felt that their works needed to be protected from consumption by those who could not afford to read them.

Copyright was a mistake from its conception.

Copyright can be fixed.

Everything that has ever been or will ever be written is under a perpetual copyright held by the creator. It is the only solution that makes any sense at all. All discussions of copyright concerning time are meaningless as your conception of time is most likely far different than mine.

No idea will ever be sold again. Ideas will be freely given, and some will be rewarded monetarily or otherwise. This has already begun.

As you can read, I do not advocate for piracy. How could I or anyone, when we have no idea what the practice even means? Piracy does not exist because it cannot exist.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

What is piracy?

Piracy was word used to describe publishers who would sell an author's books without compensating them. Copyright law was meant to protect authors from publishers and it also brought censorship, since books needed to be approved before being printed.

Now piracy is a word used to make authors afraid of their fans.

[dadioflex]

Is the term "piracy" used by any legislation? I'm sure it's too nebulous a word to be used within the strict confines of legalese.

If you don't recognize copyright, then ignore it. It's like murder. Some people say it's wrong, but that's because they're invested in the keeping innocent people alive industry. Corporate stooges.

[hidari]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

That is about what I do when ever I see his posts.

WEAK comment from you. Giggleton has made some very good posts in the past if you care to open up your mind and not make a pathetic post. Address the issue not the user.

[Kirtai]

Piracy was a foul crime involving, among other things, theft, murder, rape and kidnapping of people from vessels.

The term was later co-opted by certain media industries to refer to copyright infringement in a cynical attempt to transfer the revulsion towards the original crimes to the civil offence.

[Ekaros]

Originally Posted by Kirtai

Piracy was a foul crime involving, among other things, theft, murder, rape and kidnapping of people from vessels.

The term was later co-opted by certain media industries to refer to copyright infringement in a cynical attempt to transfer the revulsion towards the original crimes to the civil offence.

Which at times was also paid by governments... Which does still happen... Makes you think...

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Kirtai

Piracy was a foul crime involving, among other things, theft, murder, rape and kidnapping of people from vessels.

The term was later co-opted by certain media industries to refer to copyright infringement in a cynical attempt to transfer the revulsion towards the original crimes to the civil offence.

Of course, the first kind of pirates, like those in Somali, have no other options to feed their families. While the second kind are either cheap or greedy, whatever you want to call it.

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Of course, the first kind of pirates, like those in Somali, have no other options to feed their families. While the second kind are either cheap or greedy, whatever you want to call it.

If I donate all of my future monies to those who cannot afford to eat, would it be ok for me to download whatever I wish to read?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

If I donate all of my future monies to those who cannot afford to eat, would it be ok for me to download whatever I wish to read?

Certainly. Just as soon as you have donated 100% of all your futures monies, contact us and we'll send you your "I can download anything I want" card. Unfortunately... we're going to need all of your future monies up front. We are unable to prorate future monies at this time.

[Kirtai]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

While the second kind are either cheap or greedy, whatever you want to call it.

Or just ignorant. Like everyone in the EU and USA who has ever sang "Happy Birthday to You" in public without paying for a public performance licence.

Pirates, every last one of them.

(Yes, that song is indeed in copyright)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by dadioflex

Is the term "piracy" used by any legislation? I'm sure it's too nebulous a word to be used within the strict confines of legalese.

The term was used in the original version of the International Berne Copyright Convention in 1886.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Kirtai

Piracy was a foul crime involving, among other things, theft, murder, rape and kidnapping of people from vessels.

The term was later co-opted by certain media industries to refer to copyright infringement in a cynical attempt to transfer the revulsion towards the original crimes to the civil offence.

You do realise that the use of the word "piracy" to refer to the unauthorised copying of literary works dates back over 400 years? It certainly isn't a modern coinage.

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Of course, the first kind of pirates, like those in Somali, have no other options to feed their families.

really? the pirates operating out of somalia are just poor folk trying to raise to by food for their starving families? how about planting a garden?

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

If I donate all of my future monies to those who cannot afford to eat, would it be ok for me to download whatever I wish to read?

Literally? No, because then you couldn't afford to eat, and would starve or become a ward of the state.

If you mean that you would donate everything above the barest minimum needed to survive, it still makes no sense because, by international standards, you have to be middle income or above to afford even a used computer, used eReader, and slow internet connection.

There may be a Chinese Buddhist monk who is living in great poverty and, at this moment, illegally downloading a book on the Fxxxx Gxxx*, to learn more about a tradition with both similarities and differences to his own. Bully for him, but that's highly atypical. You should be basing your arguments on the real world, where the vast majority of book pirates are in the top half of the worldwide income distribution. If poverty is to be the justification, then justify book shoplifting, which more plausibly is an activity of the poor.

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EDITED: *Changed to avoid page blockage, since there are PRC-resident members of Mobileread.