From: AlunFoto
2009/7/19 Graydon <o...@uniserve.com>:
> No.
>
> The publisher *changed their mind* about selling an electronic edition
> and retroactively deleted the copies that had been sold.
>
> Think about this in context of news or political writing.
I just read the article again. The phrase "changed their mind" does
not occur there. That came from something David Mann had "read the
other day" but didn't state where.
Remember that Amazon is a portal through which bookstores can sell
their products. Amazon is skittish about copyright infringements by
individual stores because the owner of the distribution rights may sue
Amazon for not taking action against the bootleg copies. You can't
blame them for reacting, can you? In the sense of protecting their
business, I mean.
I remember a long argument somewhere here or in usenet about what my
responsibility was at the photolab regarding customers who came in to
make copies of copyrighted images. Under the DMCA, it's the equipment
owner who's financially liable for any infringement. The penalties are
quite draconian.
I suggested anyone who shoots weddings and provides the couple with a CD
of the images to print their own should include a copyright release.
I was roundly condemned for being a "bad cop", and informed it was not
my job to "enforce bad laws".
However it's a novelty that they "collect" the sold item by erasing it
from the customer's e-reader. As end-users we normally think ourselves
morally impeccable if we have bought stolen goods in Good Faith, and
are thereby entitled to keep what we have paid for. So again, I
empathise with those who had their books deleted from their readers.
It's not what they expected.
But everyone who buys a Kindle automatically agrees to buying all
their literature through Amazon, and the small type actually requests
the buyer's conscent to Amazon doing this sort of thing, iirc.
According to the article, the small type DOES NOT spell out that Amazon
can delete purchased items.
Amazon's run into criticism before because what the "small type" says
does not agree with what Amazon does.
I really hope that Google's anticipated e-reader will not be
constrained in this way.
Jostein
I think I'll stick with my old, beat up, dog eared paperbacks.
--
PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
PDML@pdml.net
http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow
the directions.
