Re: copyright under stress

On Tue, Jun 20, 2000, Robert Cumbow <rcumbow[_at_]grahamdunn.com> wrote:
>
> [...]
> As I recall, the LaMacchia case was about the "sharing" of
> unauthorized copies of computer software, not books.

True enough. Now, tell me how you can tell the difference between an electronic book and electronic software or digital music or art?

> Also, I don't think the No Electronic Theft Act makes sharing books
> electronically a crime -- at least not until the number of different
> books shared reaches such a high number that the Act's retail-value
> threshold is met. They would have to be either very expensive books
> or there would have to be a lot of them.

The Act doesn't distinguish between books and other digital media. As for retail value, presumably the copyright holder would be able to determine that and come up with the appropriate figures. When it is a matter of giving away books online, yes there can be "a lot of them" -- my site has 40,000 hits a day and has been online for more than four years. Does anyone read them? Does anyone read my long email messages and reply to them?

-- 
"Eric"  Eric Eldred  Eldritch Press
mailto:Eldred[_at_]EldritchPress.org
http://www.eldritchpress.org/EricEldred.vcf