Moral and Ethical Norms Regarding Book Sharing

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

With Adobe's DRM, I am allowed to register multiple devices. I could register mine and my mother's to the same account. The DRM would then allow both of us to read the same eBook.Amazon allows the same thing with their DRM.

Yes, for one specific named family member, it does indeed.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Family sharing allows you to share content with one specific other adult (and up to four children). You also have to share payment methods, so it had better be a person whom you trust . Given that the wording says "... in your household", I suspect there's probably a check that the other person is at the same address as you.

Very different to sending copies of books to arbitrary family members at other locations.

As I said before, with Family Sharing, you do NOT share payment methods, and I don't believe that there is a check that the other person shares your address.

Shari

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by shalym

As I said before, with Family Sharing, you do NOT share payment methods

Thanks for confirming that. This is the Amazon UK description of Family Sharing:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/cus...deId=201733400

and it says:

Note: In order to share content, both account holders need to authorise each other to use credit cards associated with their Amazon accounts for purchases on Amazon. This will not affect either of their current payment settings, but each adult will be able to copy the credit cards of the other account to his or her Amazon account and use them for purchases with Amazon.

Which I'm sure you'll agree certainly makes it sound as if this is a requirement!

[shalym]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thanks for confirming that. This is the Amazon UK description of Family Sharing:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/cus...deId=201733400

and it says:



Which I'm sure you'll agree certainly makes it sound as if this is a requirement!

Hmmm...maybe it is in the UK, but not in the US. The person I share with does not have access to my payment methods, and I don't have access to theirs.

edit to add: So...I just checked the terms for the US version, and they say the same thing. I can guarantee you, though, that I don't have access to the other person's payment methods, and she doesn't have access to mine.

Shari

[HarryT]

The same text appears in the Amazon.com version of the page:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...deId=201620400

I wonder if it's something that was perhaps introduced after you set up Family Sharing yourself?

[shalym]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The same text appears in the Amazon.com version of the page:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...deId=201620400

I wonder if it's something that was perhaps introduced after you set up Family Sharing yourself?

Maybe so, although if the payment method sharing was really a thing, I would think that it would have been across the board for all family library setups when they implemented it.

Shari

[HarryT]

Oh well, you're obviously in a position to know, as someone who actually does this! If this really isn't a requirement, then the description of it is at best misleading and I'd be tempted to say it's plain wrong.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by shalym

Maybe so, although if the payment method sharing was really a thing, I would think that it would have been across the board for all family library setups when they implemented it.

Shari

People who were already sharing an account were grandfathered when Amazon added the access to payment method rider.

It's my guess that Amazon instituted it to cut down on abuse; i.e. people not in the same household who shared an account for Prime shipping benefits, for example. No one got kicked out, but going forward people would be a lot less likely to sign up for a shared account with a friend or co-worker.

[HarryT]

That would certainly make sense. Thanks.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by shalym

Hmmm...maybe it is in the UK, but not in the US. The person I share with does not have access to my payment methods, and I don't have access to theirs.

edit to add: So...I just checked the terms for the US version, and they say the same thing. I can guarantee you, though, that I don't have access to the other person's payment methods, and she doesn't have access to mine.

Shari

Yes, that is true (in the US) unless you have an Echo. If you have an Echo, you can access the other person's payment methods by simply switching your account to theirs. If you lend your kindle out, either put the books on first and then deregister or set up parental controls (it now blocks out use of Alexis app) to prevent access to purchases on your Amazon.

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Human language is full of redundancy, anyway, which is there to reduce the chance of misunderstandings. Phrases like "join together" (things that join can only do so together) or "prior experience" (all experience is, by definition, prior).

Unless you are about to have a new experience

[doubleshuffle]

That Jimi Hendrix album should have been called "Have You Had Any Prior Experience?"

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by issybird

People who were already sharing an account were grandfathered when Amazon added the access to payment method rider.

It's my guess that Amazon instituted it to cut down on abuse; i.e. people not in the same household who shared an account for Prime shipping benefits, for example. No one got kicked out, but going forward people would be a lot less likely to sign up for a shared account with a friend or co-worker.

I've only recently merged accounts and the payment methods on each are not shared (we each use our separate 'mad money' accounts for Amazon). So we were not grandfathered in.

If anything, that rider sounds like unenforced CYA.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I've only recently merged accounts and the payment methods on each are not shared (we each use our separate 'mad money' accounts for Amazon). So we were not grandfathered in.

If anything, that rider sounds like unenforced CYA.

Good to know; thanks.

[frahse]

Originally Posted by cromag

If you lend your ereader to a friend with the book there is only one copy of the book, and you lose access to it while your friend has it.

If you strip DRM and give a copy to your friend there are two copies of the book. You both have access.

I agree. In the old use of the word, "sharing" meant your copy was in someone else's hands. The word has been perverted with new usage methods available digitally and sharing has come to mean duplicating your copy one or many times for others to have and use and perhaps replicate again.

The morality of the issue is unique to each individual and sometimes to the law.