It’s wrong to steal, Part Whatever

[rolanni]

Very much worth a read: Juliet E. McKenna talks about copyright, piracy, and free speech.

Originally published at Sharon Lee, Writer. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

I think the part of this entire piracy thing that steams me most as a customer is the automatic assumption on the part of the Industry that I'm a criminal if only I could get away with it. It's most prevalent in the recording industry; witness the Sony rootkit debacle for example, but SOPA and its ilk are designed expressly to re-enforce that mindset. The greedy mega-corporations want to exploit me as a customer, they want my money, yet they're constantly seeking to redefine exactly what "ownership" means, and constantly trying to claw back the rights that a traditional sales agreement formerly granted me.

If I purchase a physical item, it is mine to do with as I please. I can hoard it, I can enjoy it, I can throw it out when I'm done with it, or I can resell it on the used market if I so choose. I hold that right because it is mine, not theirs. I am enjoined from making copies of that item to sell, becuase I did not buy those rights, even though I may well have the capability to make said copies. I should be granted those exact same rights and restrictions over any softcopy of an item as well. It's easy enough to install a tracking bug in a softcopy at the time of sale which says "Sold to {foo} on {Bar} date. Reslale as new prohibited." or words to that effect. It's slightly more difficult to make it hard for a pirate to strip out, but it can be done.

Loaning or giving books to friends is one of the most effective word-of-mouth advertising methods available, and the nonsensical restrictions on e-books which too many companies insist on completely cuts that off.

There's a difference between individuals loaning or giving away their personal copies of a work and mass piracy. Too many companies and their pet politicians are not allowing themselves to see that difference. I think that we are witnessing growing pains as the non-traditional electronic market develops. As you've mentioned, Baen does not use DRM for many of their titles ( I haven't had enough experience with them to say categorically "all" of them), and doesn't seem to be suffering from that decision. Perhaps as the market matures and effective anti-piracy measures that don't penalise the customers are put into place we'll see this whole mess become history.

We, your customers, have an investment that you, the teller of our stories, be properly compensated for your work so that you can continue to tell your stories and keep selling them to us for as long as you can. I wonder how a partnership between us to oppose piracy would work? The publishing industry's biggest asset in the fight against piracy is their law-abiding customer base. We need the publishers and they need us. But they cannot alienate us by treating us pre-emptively as criminals.

Loaning an e-copy - really?

[jane-barfly.livejournal.com]

Stealing is wrong. It's also a horrible way to get more of the music/stories one loves, if the artist isn't getting paid for their work.
I very much like drm free digital stuff, because I've had too many pieces of technology go toes up with no warning. I like to keep a backup copy for my own personal use so that I know that if the hard-drive dies I can still read. Or if the purse with the palm is stolen. Or if the laptop screen doesn't light up any more. And there's always the fear that the vendor will go away - Alexandria Lit anyone?
But really - loan an e-book? I have a copy for my own use, and a backup, in case my copy dies. If I have a house fire, I'm out of luck, because I still have lots of paper and plastic, and they will go up in a lovely blaze of glory. How do you loan an e-book without cloning it?
Not all publishers treat their customers as criminals. Baen doesn't. Pinbeam doesn't. Naked reader doesn't. You can now get DRM-free mp3s from iTunes.
I use iTunes, Kindle, paper books, chapbooks, and pay at websites. I like stories and music, and bards must eat.
Stealing is still wrong. And I'm still just as offended by the publishers that treat me as a protocriminal as I am by the grocery store that thought I was shoplifting when I was twelve. I wasn't shoplifting. Boy, was I ticked. But I didn't go out and shoplift in protest of the idiots. Because, in the end, no matter how offended I was, stealing was still wrong.

Re: Loaning an e-copy - really?

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

Confusing comment is confusing.

But really, what's so wrong with lending the memory stick with my e-book on it to my friend to read and return? How am I making a copy?