Re: NY Times Ethicist Condones Ripping Off E-books

Beth,

I would not find much fault with your comments here. I don't usually include audio books, because they are a little world unto themselves. For  relatively low volume low turnover product, copyright is immensely complex.

The only problem wit h your examples is that so many people present such points and then try to use them to justify ignoring laws. That is why I ususally offer a vigorous denial of their points.

In practice I cannot imagine a copyright holder wanting to chase straightforward intelligent personal use. In fact, at this level, the loss in print of lending and selling a volume probably does cause loss to the author, so there is some prior practical experience to inform.

There is great difficulty in translating the print experiences to the digital and, though working from the familiar is a normal practice, we are all going to have to face new ways of sorting out the tangle that is being created. 

The beauty of copyright is that is is almost certainly the freest way to exercise free speech and the best way to prevent censorship. No other suggestion stands up to scrutiny. That is why I think it is worth defending copyright and all its implications, even if some, like your example, are obviously not damaging or even preventable. 

There is an implication of a policing system, but we do have many of those for various reasons; I do not think it poses any serious problems over freedom.

Joseph

From: "Beth Young"
> Hi Joseph,
> 
> Yes, I was applying the situation in one industry to another.  My point is
> that even when homemade versions are available, professional quality is
> still worth paying for.  I believe that principle holds true for books as
> well as movies. Even though I can get my husband to read a book aloud to me,
> I might still prefer to buy the audiobook performed by George Clooney.
> 
> Piracy is irrelevant to that point. Of course piracy is illegal and should
> remain so.  I'm talking about home use in the hypothetical near-future.  At
> some point, technology will allow me to buy a p-book and ask my computer to
> read it out loud to me. How is that ethically different from asking my
> husband to read my book aloud to me now?
> 
> Saying it would be a "loss to the author" begs the question.  It's a loss to
> the author only when you assume the author is owed money for an audio
> version. If the author isn't owed money when my husband reads the book to
> me, why should the author be owed money when my computer reads the book to
> me?  Bringing up contracts also begs the question. You and I could agree to
> all sorts of contract provisions, but that doesn't mean those provisions
> make sensible policy going forward.
> 
> Beth
> 
> On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 8:44 PM, joseph harris <[email protected]>wrote:
> 
>> Beth,
>>
>> The moment you exampled DVDs I realised you were trying to apply the
>> situation in one industry to another. Books are not comparable in that way
>> at all. Few people read a book twice. For that reason any distribution
>> against the contract of purchase is a loss to the author; it is also
>> straight breach of contract.
>>
>> Any permission to make one's own copy is an invitation to pirates.
>>
>> Laws are largely about regulating our dealings with one another. It makes
>> me uneasy to have you say you might choose to break a contract you have with
>> me.
>>
>> Joseph
>>
>>
>> From: "Beth Young"
>> >I completely agree with what Chris said.
>> >
>> > I have to say, though, I don't need to see the whole thing for free
>> before I
>> > buy.  A brief sample is enough for me.  What I will resent is if I buy in
>> > one format but am forbidden from transferring it to a new format.
>> > Especially because I believe that editors, proofreaders, etc. etc. will
>> add
>> > enough value that buying the new format would be better.
>> >
>> > e.g., if I were technologically able to easily scan a p-book into
>> e-format,
>> > or if my computer could easily read it into an audiofile, I'm sure that
>> > professional quality would still be better.  I would probably pay to get
>> > that professional quality, but I would resent not being able to choose
>> > between homemade and professional.
>> >
>> > My likelihood of buying in a second format increases if there are special
>> > features: updates for reference books, additional visuals for nonfiction,
>> > outtakes from a novel, or an extra forward, or a "making of" timeline
>> that
>> > showed how much work went into creating the book, or the original book
>> > proposal, or alternate cover art sketches, a coupon allowing me to buy an
>> > advance "review" copy of the next book in the series, or something.
>> >
>> > It's like dvds.  Right now, I can record a movie or tv show in HD when it
>> is
>> > broadcast, save it to a hard drive, even burn it to a dvd if I want for
>> > later viewing.  But I have never made a homemade dvd, and I purchase lots
>> of
>> > dvds.  Why?  Well, I like the stylish menus on a dvd, I like the bonus
>> > features, I like being able to switch languages (not that I understand
>> the
>> > other languages but it is fun to hear them), etc.
>> >
>> > I'm sure book publishers can come up with ways to tempt readers into
>> buying
>> > multiple formats, even if we are allowed to make our own homemade
>> versions .
>> >
>> > Beth
>> >
>>
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> 
> 
> 
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