Pointing users to drm stripping software isn't copyright infringment.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

I very highly doubt it was the intent to make money off of it in the first place - not only for legal reasons. The other beauty of the thing is that it is a plain python script - the program is its own source code. Forward thinking on the developers part - if, for some reason, Apprentice Alf gets shut down there will be enough copies floating around that don't require any reverse engineering skills to translate.

True but if someone tries to sell something that may be illegal then that opens another can of worms in addition to any other problems. That's what I meant, not that I think Apprentice Alf would have done so.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by crich70

True but if someone tries to sell something that may be illegal then that opens another can of worms in addition to any other problems. That's what I meant, not that I think Apprentice Alf would have done so.

I apologize for not being clear enough in the first place, I knew what you meant and I totally agree. Making money on top of already having a product that is questionable only asks for trouble. I still think there is other more honorable reasons to have Apprentice Alf not charge anything. And Alf is smart enough to cover his butt anyway.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

I apologize for not being clear enough in the first place, I knew what you meant and I totally agree. Making money on top of already having a product that is questionable only asks for trouble. I still think there is other more honorable reasons to have Apprentice Alf not charge anything. And Alf is smart enough to cover his butt anyway.

Ah ok, sorry for the mis-understanding. And I agree. After all if he didn't have his rear covered (so to speak) his plugin wouldn't still be available to us.

[Dr. Drib]

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[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by crich70

True but if someone tries to sell something that may be illegal then that opens another can of worms in addition to any other problems. That's what I meant, not that I think Apprentice Alf would have done so.

There are, in fact, several companies selling ebook DRM removal tools. In all cases, I think, the tools they are selling are repackaged versions of the tools that are in Alf's package.

I don't really know why no-one's gone after these commercial operations. Perhaps the memories of the backlash against Adobe over the Skylarov affair are too fresh.

[Shades]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

There are, in fact, several companies selling ebook DRM removal tools. In all cases, I think, the tools they are selling are repackaged versions of the tools that are in Alf's package.

I don't really know why no-one's gone after these commercial operations. Perhaps the memories of the backlash against Adobe over the Skylarov affair are too fresh.

No. They don't go after them due to lack of jurisdiction in the country where the sites are operating from more than anything else.

Can't sue them if the tools are legal in that country either.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

There are, in fact, several companies selling ebook DRM removal tools. In all cases, I think, the tools they are selling are repackaged versions of the tools that are in Alf's package.

I don't really know why no-one's gone after these commercial operations. Perhaps the memories of the backlash against Adobe over the Skylarov affair are too fresh.

Interesting. I didn't know that. It does remind me of a warning over at PG though. Apparently some people 'sell' the links to PG to others thereby charging $ for something that is intended to be free. Though I imagine some countries have more access to the net than others as well so maybe that explains part of that.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Shades

No. They don't go after them due to lack of jurisdiction in the country where the sites are operating from more than anything else.

Can't sue them if the tools are legal in that country either.

Sounds like a problem not unlike why some illegal torrents are up. If they're hosted somewhere the authorities can't reach they become harder to take down. Something which I'm sure has caused a lot of headaches for some authors of ebooks in recent years.