Re: Re: What kind of pirate am I?

If I buy a book in one electronic format and buy a new device and figure out how to convert the book I paid for to another format you call it stealing. I don't call it stealing.  In this case the law would agree with me.  While the law might have things to say about what I did the law would not call it stealing.
So, based on that I have to say that your argument is a purely emotional one and I think you can do better.  The subject deserves better.

Barry

--- On Wed, 10/13/10, Kirk McElhearn <[email protected]> wrote:

From: Kirk McElhearn <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [ebook-community] Re: What kind of pirate am I?
To: [email protected]
Date: Wednesday, October 13, 2010, 2:55 AM















 
 



  


    
      
      
      

On Oct 13, 2010, at 4:38 AM, Barry wrote:



> You have to be careful when comparing issues with physical books and digital books.  There's a lot more than cost of production that's different.  A physical book is an inventory item.  When you take a physical book the owner that you're taking it from has one less of that item and you have one more.  It's a zero sum game.

> DIgital books aren't that way.  If you make a copy of a digital book you haven't deprived the owner of a copy of that book.  You haven't screwed up his accounting and very likely he perceives no loss of any kind.

> Of course there is potential loss if you would have otherwise bought the book.  But if you've bought it in IBooks and now you want to read it on your Kindle there's no real loss if you make a copy.  And if you do buy a second digital copy you're paying extra because of limitations.  Neither way is fair.  If you don't pay the publisher/bookseller feels cheated and with some justification and if you do have to pay you should feel cheated with as much justification.

> This is only about the moral view.  Legally the two instances have little in common. Stealing a physical object is theft, and while publishers like to call sharing books theft, it's hardly the same thing.  It's cheating, not theft. Each situation is covered by different laws with different penalties.



That's the justification of pirates. 



> Nearly all the arguments I read about the various piracy issues (including my own) are propoganda and dogmatic attempts to appeal to emotions with heavy use of powerful buzzwords.

> If this issue is ever going to be usefully discussed people have to find ways to stop the emotional nonsense and discuss the real issues.  This is very complicated stuff and most of the parties that care about it are intelligent people so this should somehow be possible.



It's not really that complicated. So what if it can be reproduced at no cost; that doesn't change the fact that you're stealing.



Kirk



*Author of Take Control of iTunes 10: The FAQ*

http://www.mcelhearn.com/itunes

Twitter: @mcelhearn





    
     

    
    


 



  










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