Does your will include gifting your ebooks?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The only way I can legally read an in-copyright ebook is under a licence from the copyright holder. When I buy an ebook, I’m buying a licence from the copyright holder. The terms and conditions of the ebook store where I buy the ebook set out the terms of the licence, but the licence itself must be with the copyright holder, directly or indirectly. No-one else can give me the required permission.

So whether the ebook store continues to be in busines or not does not affect my licence.

Agreed. All I was saying is that the retailer may grant you additional rights, such as sharing books with people under the terms of Amazon's "Family Sharing" programme.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Agreed. All I was saying is that the retailer may grant you additional rights, such as sharing books with people under the terms of Amazon's "Family Sharing" programme.

The retailer may not grant additional rights without the approval of the copyright holder. Any additional rights are just part of the licence.

I agree that it is not always necessary to have bought a licence oneself to have a right to read an in-copyright book. One might have the right under a licence bought by someone else, as in the case of Amazon's Family Sharing programme.

[howyoudoin]

My ebooks will remain synced to an online server and will be accessible to any family members who share my interests during my lifetime. I don't think I'll have to rely on a will.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

Can I say first off that I should have clarified at the beginning of my post that I was aiming it as a discussion for all (and not at you! ooops ...)

Re the clause in the Will identifying what is to become of eproperty, forum memberships, web accounts (including say ebook store accounts etc etc) then yes, I do think that appropriate. The clause could state that these accounts be closed for example, and that access to close them be gained via the passwords that had been left as part of the Will.

Indeed! But many people, including myself, are ill informed as to what happens to your non tangible assets, and many do not have a will.
Many of us make assumptions based on who knows what that it will all work out.
Ideally a notice that you are now dead should be sent to all credit institutions before your obituary is printed.

Not sure how common it is now but I have known of people continuing to collect pensions etc. from the deceased for years even when the death is properly reported. Pretty sure the Canadian Government is getting a bit of a handle on it, but not at all sure it is not still happening.

And oh yep, my mother who still has all her faculties also (in her words) 'can't be bothered' with much these days, particularly with 'red tape'. So yes, it's left to me even now when she's alive to handle all her administrative etc events.

My mother can't be bothered either and she is 90% in her right mind. Her choice of course, but it has severely limited her options for an enjoyable life.

I agree with you re giving away property, real/digital, while a person is still capable of doing so, but that doesn't always happen, eg sudden death (say via car accident) of a person in their 30's (or whatever youngish age).

My grandmother died in her 90's and she gave a lot away as her years progressed, and basically everything upon her death was 'thrown out' in one way or another eg charity bins etc. But she didn't have a digital footprint, whereas it would be unusual for an under sixty year old person today not to. (And over sixty years it's not too uncommon to have a digital footprint either.)

So, yes I think it's a matter of importance to leave instructions as to how to delete and otherwise get rid (as in distribute or destroy) digital property. I know that my greater family has had some 'interesting' fall outs due to the distribution of Wills, and even the currency of a Will, as in which was the most current version and who potentially caused a Will to be rewritten in their favour and how competent was the deceased at the time of re-writing etc. (Ahh yes, families .... )

Eek indeed. Heaven forbid that any of us end up in the position that we are browbeaten or worse for our assets. I know more than person who slowly starved to death because on pension day their fairly well to do grandchildren showed up on pension day and weaseled money out of them. Hateful but true.

Sorry for the diatribe.

Back on topic:
I really can't get too excited about someone illegally obtaining my reading material after I die.

Leaving instructions for deletion is like a waving red flag before a bull. Someone will likely be curious and make a copy before wiping. Just saying.

Only way to be almost legally and morally blameless is to only keep only the original copy. Wipe all others yourself after reading. Not saying I do this because I don't. But I should and maybe I will start. But if I do lend my ebooks I lend them on a reader with DRM.

Just curious. Do you have a lot of people wanting your eBooks when you pass on?

Helen

[Tarana]

I simply provided proof that I was now the owner of the account (court document, death certificate). The account was changed into my name and then all the stuff from that account moved into my current account.

Of course, if you have access to the account already, you can simply change that information yourself and then ask Amazon to transfer everything to your regular account. That said, some things may not transfer - for instance, if Amazon is no longer selling an ebook due to country restrictions, it might not transfer successfully.

Also, be aware that Amazon allows multiple ownership of their accounts now. I don't know how you do it, but I remember reading about it not too long ago. You can bypass the whole issue provided you've removed credit cards from the account.

Or, as mentioned, just maintain copies of your library on a hard drive with instructions about who gets which hard drive.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tarana
I already inherited someone else's ebook library at Amazon, so no reason why my sisters can't inherit mine.

How did that work? Amazon simply transferred the books to your account?

I just want my ebooks to pass on to my sisters for their use. Beyond that, I'm not concerned. The Audiobook access I would like to pass on to the elderly group at a retirement home while members of that group are still alive. After that, doesn't matter.

Some people have lots of family. I don't.

Just curious. Do you have a lot of people wanting your eBooks when you pass on?

[BelleZora]

Just over a year ago I decided to give away a print library of about 300 books. I finally found a great-niece excited to take them. Several years ago I gave my son an 1853 Shakespeare edited by Thomas Bowdler, first editions of Stanley in Africa and other rarities of similar age, and an 1855 book on the history and care of roses with the spine uncracked, pages crisp, and still containing order forms. I later learned that he took them to Half Price Books and that he was amazed that he received more than a few dollars.

Am I worried about bequeathing my digital books? Not in the least.

But if others have relatives clamoring for their digital books, good for them. If friends or family want to read one of my ebooks I lend them an ereader. Almost all books on my readers have DRM. Books purchased from Diesel, BoB, Fictionwise, etc. are placed on the ereader at the time I want to read them and later removed. What happens to them when I shuffle off this mortal coil is of no interest to me.

I am among those with little to bequeath. Yet I feel that my life is and has been meaningful. About fifteen years ago I distributed most of my possessions among my children. Now I am free and unencumbered by things that need dusting.

[Lynx-lynx]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

..... Just curious. Do you have a lot of people wanting your eBooks when you pass on? Helen

Now that's the part of the question that becomes difficult for me to answer, because everyone has different reading tastes.

Where possible I will distribute my possessions including my ebooks whilst still alive. For the remainder what I'd rather do is give my elibrary to a licensed charity (or charities) and hopefully that will be legalised. Therefore the elibrary could be distributed to different age groups and reading tastes.

Should I die prior to their distribution then my Will will say the same.

Well, that's the plan.

[Lynx-lynx]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

Just over a year ago I decided to give away a print library of about 300 books. I finally found a great-niece excited to take them. Several years ago I gave my son an 1853 Shakespeare edited by Thomas Bowdler, first editions of Stanley in Africa and other rarities of similar age, and an 1855 book on the history and care of roses with the spine uncracked, pages crisp, and still containing order forms. I later learned that he took them to Half Price Books and that he was amazed that he received more than a few dollars.

Oh my BelleZora, those books that your son took to Half Price Books, oh my .....

I know that when we give things away we no longer have the emotional or physical right to determine their fate, but oh my ....

[BelleZora]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

Oh my BelleZora, those books that your son took to Half Price Books, oh my .....

I know that when we give things away we no longer have the emotional or physical right to determine their fate, but oh my ....

Indeed. Still, I am now jaded. But I gave them to him (with the clever idea of dropping by to visit them on occasion) so I controlled my grief in his presence.

[Lynx-lynx]

Originally Posted by murg

Actually, since on many forums the poster retains copyright to their posts, then the value of the forum membership may not be without value.

For instance, 'The Collective Wisdom of Lynx-Lynx on MobileRead' may sell some copies, 'The MobileRead Musings of BurnWhileReading' may struggle to attract any downloaders for free...

I know of at least one travel forum where the Forum owners retain the right to any photos posted, so that poses an interesting conundrum as well.

And what about the dry wit of murg for posterity!!

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

Now that's the part of the question that becomes difficult for me to answer, because everyone has different reading tastes.

Where possible I will distribute my possessions including my ebooks whilst still alive. For the remainder what I'd rather do is give my elibrary to a licensed charity (or charities) and hopefully that will be legalised. Therefore the elibrary could be distributed to different age groups and reading tastes.

Should I die prior to their distribution then my Will will say the same.

Well, that's the plan.

A good plan, but another reason impeding the legalization of ebook transfer perhaps. I think that millions of baby boomers have eBooks these days and if even a small proportion of us donate them, the libraries would have no need to buy backlist books. Good for the libraries, but bad for the authors/publishers perhaps. It is a complex situation.

Libraries where I live do not catalogue donated books generally, just put them on a sale rack cheaper than most thrift stores. An acquaintance donated several books that were valued in the $200-$500 range to the City library and was dismayed to come across one of them a month later priced at 50 cents. Needless to say he paid the 50 cents and raised quite a commotion demanding to know what happened to the rest. He was told they probably sold for a $1.

He said he was assured they would go into a limited collection whatever that is, but was told later that that was never done. Donated books were always just sold. They did not have time to evaluate or catalogue them and it would cut down on their budget if they entered donated books into the catalogue.

So what will a library do with your ebooks? They would have to sell them online probably which would set off a furor, and possibly rightly so. Chances are they will do nothing. Bureaucracy in non-action.

Helen

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

A good plan, but another reason impeding the legalization of ebook transfer perhaps. I think that millions of baby boomers have eBooks these days and if even a small proportion of us donate them, the libraries would have no need to buy backlist books. Good for the libraries, but bad for the authors/publishers perhaps. It is a complex situation.

It's really not complex. You can't grant someone else rights that you don't have, without the permission of the copyright holder. You have a licence for your personal use of the book: that's very different to the licence a library needs, which is to allow multiple people to copy the book. Libraries pay a lot more for ebooks than you or I do, for that very reason.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's really not complex. You can't grant someone else rights that you don't have, without the permission of the copyright holder. You have a licence for your personal use of the book: that's very different to the licence a library needs, which is to allow multiple people to copy the book. Libraries pay a lot more for ebooks than you or I do, for that very reason.

Probably I was unclear.

My point was that libraries are not free to do as they want with donated eBooks and possibly wouldn't utilize them in general collections if they could as they don't often do that with paper books in my part of the world.

If they could, and they did utilize donated eBooks freely, I think it would be quite a blow over time to both authors and publishers, especially if donations could be written off for tax purposes.

Helen

[Lin2412]

I agree with Lynx-lynx on her take on donation. On another note this thread vaguely reminded me of Bruce Willis's issue before (not on ebooks) but with regards to his Itunes Library that lead to talks about him filing a lawsuit against Apple that was either true or false. But still.

[Fiat_Lux]

Originally Posted by murg

If there isn't a will, the law provides for how the estate is distributed (to rellies, etc). And no, the State doesn't get any.

What percentage of the estate of a deceased person, the State gets, literally depends upon the local laws. Local custom dictates what percentage the lawyers get. (It is utterly amazing how many legal issues are solved, once the money to pay the lawyers dries up. What is even more amazing, is that the solution is always congruent with whoever started out with the most money designated to pay the legal bills.)