eBook piracy, how common is it?

[Stringer]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm afraid that we must agree to differ. We're obviously not going to influence each other's opinion, are we?

I vote for your point of view. My experience with the Xena fan-fiction was that there really are good books for free (written with love) that are just as good as the "professional" ones. Hell, couple of them was even published as pbooks too. However, those were rather rare. For every really good and long fan-fiction article there is probably at least 10000 pieces of equally good commercial books. In the end, piracy would probably shrink the amount much more closer to the fan-fiction figures.

[ruskie]

I chose the third... And if you don't believe me your own choice. I'll explain by example.

I'm an avid reader. If it's Sci-Fi or Fantasy I'll read it more or less front to back. So when a friend introduced me to the Discworld by Terry Pratchett I was hooked but at the time I had 0 disposable income. The local libraries only ever had 3 or 4 or the books and generally all the same.

So I resorted to getting the shared versions online. Now that I have that disposable income I buy 3 of the books every 2-3 months. I buy them in pbook form. I might even buy the ebook versions if I can find a drm-free seller.

And what's more I'll be buying the extra material and some of his other books as well. Similar thing are the books from Peter F. Hamilton I've got them from the library but will be buying them after I'm done with the Discworld book buying. I'll probably buy them sooner if I find them in a DRM-free ebook format since they tend to be rather thick volumes.

Hope this explains things. I don't mind freebies but I don't like getting the shared stuff without some compensation.

What I would prefer the most is a reasonable(10-30eur) monthly flatrate fee payed to some common pool and a way to report what content one consumed to be deducted from it.

I would split the fees over video, music, text each the same amount and a way to report it. So that would be 3 different pools each for one.

I am not saying this should be forced upon people but voluntary.

The one thing I do want is to NOT be limited to a particular service. If I want to get some content from torrents I should be able to but I also want to be able to give back to the authors.

And just as another example of not being a freeloader I actually bought a Free Software/Open Source game(yes bought, got a nice CD for it and so on).

[Jellby]

What about "I use P2P to download (some) ebooks I already own in paper"?

[Sweetpea]

the first option doesn't say all, but most... So I picked that one.

Maybe a new option would have been better:

I buy most of my ebooks, but do use other means to get some others (please explain)...

(which would fit me better)

[Jellby]

Or "I get most of my ebooks through fully legal means..." Buying is not the only way to get legal ebooks, there's a lot of free stuff around (and promotions, and gifts...).

[JSWolf]

Where is the option that says about 50/50?

[lilac_jive]

I buy all of my ebooks, unless they are free legally. If I can't find them in ebook, I get them at the library, or if they aren't there then I buy the pbook.

[cvkemp]

I buy my ebooks but I do not believe in DRM. Why; I do a lot of experimenting so I am always changing OS on my PC and also I have a generic ebook reader so I am experimenting with the OS on my reader. I also experiment with ebook formats. One thing that I do not do is give away or even share my ebooks with anyone else. I do not believe that is right. I would not want everyone to have my property with out paying for it. To me that is the same as breaking into a persons home and taking what they own.

Chuck

[Patricia]

I can't vote on this poll because there isn't an option for 'I get most of my ebooks from public domain sources and convert them myself, if necessary.'

I won't buy DRM'd ebooks, so I tend to buy them in treeware format.

[Lady Blue]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

I buy all of my ebooks, unless they are free legally. If I can't find them in ebook, I get them at the library, or if they aren't there then I buy the pbook.

Exactly. I do the very same. I have never found the need to obtain, or even consider obtaining an ebook in a any other manner than stated by lilac. You can believe it or not, but I have NEVER obtained an illegal ebook. There is no option for that in your poll.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Jellby

Or "I get most of my ebooks through fully legal means..." Buying is not the only way to get legal ebooks, there's a lot of free stuff around (and promotions, and gifts...).

Originally Posted by Patricia

I can't vote on this poll because there isn't an option for 'I get most of my ebooks from public domain sources and convert them myself, if necessary.'

I won't buy DRM'd ebooks, so I tend to buy them in treeware format.

i was about to post the same thing.

i have bought *some* ebooks (quite a few since i got my liseuse) ; however the majority of my books are PD which i've gotten first directly from Project Gutenberg (this is what eventually motivated me to look into dedicated reading devices in the first place, since i was so excited to find all these brilliant books for free but realised i would never read them on my pc) and later from MR once i found this site. and like jellby i've gotten quite a lot of free promotional ebooks as well, and sometimes i convert them myself.

if you like, a mod could add an option for this... let us know.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i was about to post the same thing.

i have bought *some* ebooks (quite a few since i got my liseuse) ; however the majority of my books are PD which i've gotten first directly from Project Gutenberg (this is what eventually motivated me to look into dedicated reading devices in the first place, since i was so excited to find all these brilliant books for free but realised i would never read them on my pc) and later from MR once i found this site. and like jellby i've gotten quite a lot of free promotional ebooks as well, and sometimes i convert them myself.

if you like, a mod could add an option for this... let us know.

I'd say I want that option, but I already voted on the first.

[Stringer]

I should have put only two choices:
1) no piracy
2) piracy (including when it is legal on Your country but not elsewhere, assuming you know the concept of right and wrong)

That is what interest me most.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Stringer

I should have put only two choices:
1) no piracy
2) piracy (including when it is legal on Your country but not elsewhere, assuming you know the concept of right and wrong)

That is what interest me most.

Piracy is the wrong world altogether. It's an emotionally charged word used to virtually tar-and-feather those who share with each other.

EDIT: and if anybody is comparing people sharing and downloading entertainment with high-seas rapists, murderers and thieves, then I think it's time to re-evaluate.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

if you like, a mod could add an option for this... let us know.

It's not a good idea to edit polls, because those who have already voted cannot change their vote, so it all ends up being rather meaningless if you have a new item which many people can't vote for!