From: Austin Ziegler <halostatue@...>
Date: 2006-05-16T21:24:06+09:00
Subject: Re: Ticked Off

On 5/16/06, Kev Jackson <kevin.jackson@it.fts-vn.com> wrote:
> I kind of agree with this - 'check out the pdf and then buy the book
> attitude'.  I also have a lot of sympathy for authors who get ripped
> off - but if anyone tries to tell me that 'copying a pdf' is the same
> as stealing a book from a store, I cannot agree with that - they are
> fundamentally different in that one is physical and one isn't, one is
> theft while the other is copyright infringement - one can get you a
> slap on the wrist, the other locked up (under current DMCA style
> laws).  They are the same in that both deprive the author of revenue
> (in fact I'm not certain, but shop thefts probably don't deprive the
> author, although they do deprive the store).

Actually, they're both theft and they both unlawfully deprive the author
and publisher of their rightful income from the sale. In a theft from a
bookstore, though, there's an additional aggrieved party. (Your
characterisation of the difference between the possible judgements is
incorrect. I deplore the DMCA and am quite thankful that I don't live in
a country that has such insane copyright laws.)

It's *easier* to steal from the author in one case rather than the
other, but it still deprives the author of income to which they are
entitled.

> I live in the developing world, and the fact is that there are no
> bookstores that carry Prag Prog titles here - they simply cost too
> much for the bookstores to carry. [...]

Has anyone mentioned this to the PragProg? Every impression that I've
ever gotten of Dave and Andy is that they would care about this, and I
think that their authors would feel the same. Why don't you suggest it
to them as a possible approach for the developing world?

-austin
-- 
Austin Ziegler * halostatue@gmail.com
               * Alternate: austin@halostatue.ca