if an ebook is copyrighted?
Posted Friday, June 18, 2010 by admin
there is a book that my friend wants and the library has it on hold for her but it will take over a month and she wants to read it now
she found the whole book on a web site as an ebook but she knows that it is copyrighted
so do u think it is ok for her to download it?
she will still get it for free when it is from a library right?
No, I don’t think it’s okay. Libraries pay acquisition fees; even books donated to a library were paid for by the person donating them (or someone else).
Your friend would be doing something illegal. There’s something else, too. These sites that offer illegal downloads may also be including some nasty little virus or worm in the download. Even if it wasn’t illegal, it would be unwise.
There are plenty of books that are in the public domain (no longer under copyright) and available to read online or download and read offline. Gutenberg has more than 25,000 titles.
You should suggest that your friend read something else in the meantime.
If she refuses to do that, she should either borrow the book from a friend or buy a copy.
I hope that helps.
Tell your friend it is ILLEGAL to download that book.
She may think there’s no difference between reading it now and reading it later, since she’s not going to be paying for it in any case. But the person who posted that book online did so illegally–and anyone who downloads it is also breaking the law.
Nice people don’t steal books, even when it’s almost certain they won’t be caught and punished.
Ebooks are as copyrighted as print books are.