I don't think it's fair to say I'm missing the point entirely, Wapittttkiev.

The majority of stuff I have read about Intellectual Property is to do with music and films

Thank you for your contribution...this thread is not about those formats.

-Wapitikev

This right here.

When an author has a book published, he/she knows that copies will be read by people who borrow them from libraries, friends, relatives, or find them abandoned in airports, laundromats...whatever. One purchased copy is all the compensation they can expect with regard to all that borrowing. That's the way it works and authors know it.

Any author who authorizes e-copies should be prepared for the "borrowing" (downloading) to increase dramatically over physical books. That's the way file sharing works.

Any author who does not authroize e-copies of work still under copyright has a legitimate complaint if his/her work turns up in electronic format somewhere.

Thank you Webby and a big nod to Wap.

I concur....nuff said.

The record labels and film studios who face extinction becasue of the internet are the ones banging on about Intellecutal Property the most, and trying to pressure the government into making laws that protect their out-dated business models.

I agree.

I think that the same principles apply to books...

My posts have been about how FPW's fans should treat his works and, once FPW weighed in, about FPW's wishes...not his publishers actual or implied wishes based on those of film studios and record labels.

-Wapitikev

Like Cory Doctorow pointed out in the boring pointless video I shouldnt have inflicted on you, the internet has made the cost of failure much smaller than before.

I don't have the numbers you require - do you have any numbers on how many people have tried this and enjoyed similar success?

Since it was your own point that people can self publish and make good money, instead of using traditional methods, the burden of proof (and thus statistics) to support your argument is on you, not me.

-Wapitikev

This also applies to buying a second hand copy of eBay, or borrowing one from the library, something you have already said is fine. So what's your point, mate?

I tried to say this earlier on in this thread, and you shot me down saying it's om to borrow a physical book because someone paid for it. Well someone bought the book before they scanned it, so why is this not the same when someone else reads it?

See Webby's subsequent post and my comment regarding it. Thanx.

-Wapitikev

I don't think that illegal pdf versions of books will ever be as big a problem as downloaded mp3s or movies.

That is a matter of (the wrong) perspective...since the majority of FPW's remuneration for his works comes from print and not audio or film, he probably has a big problem with it.

-Wapitikev

Am not trying to confuse anything, just asking questions and trying t find things out. Why the hostility, Wappy? You're normally alright, and I'm not trying to be mean or anything! You're coming off a bit snippy, you ok?

True, but particularly on the "borrowing a copy and returning it, versus copying it and giving the copy away" issue, you seem to be going out of your way not to understand the difference. Perhaps that's just me.

However, according to the OP the thread is specifically about FPW e-books, both legal and, perhaps, illegal. Discussing the legality of downloadable MP3s or movies just muddies the issue.

For me, the thread is about how we as fans should treat FPW's work and honor his expressed wishes as stated on the the thread.

I understand your desire to discuss Copyright in general...I agree that current law ignores the Internet, that take-down legislation is useless, etc.

On a thread about copyright, in general, we would likely agree on more than we have above.

Truce.

-Wapitikev

Buddah neglected to mention that the world's supply of common sense is finite...which explains why, as the world's population goes up, less and less of it seems to be available.

-Wapitikev

Funny, out of this whole discusion, this is the one thing I have a problem with.
We learn a hell of a lot from those without common sense. And the more of them there are, the more there is to be learned.

Funny, out of this whole discusion, this is the one thing I have a problem with.
We learn a hell of a lot from those without common sense. And the more of them there are, the more there is to be learned.

Better get Kusum's necklace, then. That much learning is going to take more than one lifetime.

-Wapitikev

Better get Kusum's necklace, then. That much learning is going to take more than one lifetime.

-Wapitikev

Naaa. One lifetime is fine. I should be able to prolong this one for a while if I can learn from others ample examples!