5 ms·

If you're interested in reading someone's books without paying for them, I propose there are several decent alternatives: 1. Do the legal thing and go down to

If you're interested in reading someone's books without paying for them, I propose there are several decent alternatives: 1. Do the legal thing and go down to the local library, even at some inconvenience to yourself. 2. Drop the smug sense of moral superiority. 3. Stick up for your moral superiority by making a sacrifice by depriving yourself of the pleasure. It doesn't make a whit of difference in the economy, but it's the right thing to do for your principles. I'll be over here celebrating having a diversity of viewpoints in literature, so git off my lawn.

sneak 10y ago
> 1. Do the legal thing and go down to the local library, even at some inconvenience to yourself. How the fuck is that any different than my torrenting the epub and reading it on my iPad? The exact same words, read by the exact same person, for the exact same amount of value transferred between the exact same people. Stop it with this meaningless worship of the fiction of intellectual property. PS: Downloading content for which you lack a license is not illegal.
- monkeywork 10y ago
  Stop acting like you have some sort of right to access content that you don't own or have not acquired though methods that the author has authorized. To answer your question regarding library ... libraries have a limited number of copies (versus the unlimited digital pirated copies) thus still creating a supply a demand market that may have some people decide to simply purchase if there is a long wait list for a popular title. >PS: Downloading content for which you lack a license is not illegal. That depends on where you live ... however morally it's wrong no matter where you are. >Stop it with this meaningless worship of the fiction of intellectual property. Those who create works have the option of controlling the licensing ... same as with software, hey can open source, close source, public source etc... the point is they have the choice... if you can't respect the decisions of those who license under licenses you don't personally agree with how can you expect anyone to respect works licensed under licenses that you do approve of.
  - sneak 10y ago
    The idea of the possession of a given sequence of bits as illegal and requiring a licence to permit is fundamentally absurd. I have a right to copy any bits I choose. What those bits represent is immaterial.
- DanBC 10y ago
  > How the fuck is that any different than my torrenting the epub and reading it on my iPad? In England authors get a (tiny) fee when their books are borrowed from a library. Is that not the case in the US? https://www.plr.uk.com/ https://www.plr.uk.com/
- fennecfoxen 10y ago
  I don't believe there is any difference, and have stated as much. But principles are supposed to be the things you seriously inconvenience yourself to defend, not the things you use as a convenient excuse to make things more convenient. I mean, if you just said "property is theft!" as a justification when you lifted peoples' wallets, it'd seem a bit like "situational ethics". When you have an intellectual beef with someone while pirating their intellectual output in the form of literature, though, that's really going the extra mile. It may not be complete hypocrisy, but it sure has a lot of the appearance thereof.
  - sneak 10y ago
    I don't believe in or support copyright or Orson Scott Card's commercial success in any line of business.
- codesmurf 10y ago
  The authors get paid by the library, when they lend you a book (at least here in Denmark). So it is not the same.
r_smart 10y ago
Another point to tack onto this: The value of the work itself is well worth paying for, even if it has hidden costs to it, like when we drive cars or buy things made in sweatshops. His books are beautiful, and were influential to me when I was younger, particularly Speaker for the Dead. If one bigot helps to inspire tolerance and introspection in millions of people, then he'll have done far more harm than good, no matter how he spends the money. I was actually shocked to find out about his personal views years after reading his books. Perhaps he needs to give Speaker a read himself.

sneak 10y ago

> 1. Do the legal thing and go down to the local library, even at some inconvenience to yourself. How the fuck is that any different than my torrenting the epub and reading it on my iPad? The exact same words, read by the exact same person, for the exact same amount of value transferred between the exact same people. Stop it with this meaningless worship of the fiction of intellectual property. PS: Downloading content for which you lack a license is not illegal.

monkeywork 10y ago
Stop acting like you have some sort of right to access content that you don't own or have not acquired though methods that the author has authorized. To answer your question regarding library ... libraries have a limited number of copies (versus the unlimited digital pirated copies) thus still creating a supply a demand market that may have some people decide to simply purchase if there is a long wait list for a popular title. >PS: Downloading content for which you lack a license is not illegal. That depends on where you live ... however morally it's wrong no matter where you are. >Stop it with this meaningless worship of the fiction of intellectual property. Those who create works have the option of controlling the licensing ... same as with software, hey can open source, close source, public source etc... the point is they have the choice... if you can't respect the decisions of those who license under licenses you don't personally agree with how can you expect anyone to respect works licensed under licenses that you do approve of.
- sneak 10y ago
  The idea of the possession of a given sequence of bits as illegal and requiring a licence to permit is fundamentally absurd. I have a right to copy any bits I choose. What those bits represent is immaterial.
DanBC 10y ago
> How the fuck is that any different than my torrenting the epub and reading it on my iPad? In England authors get a (tiny) fee when their books are borrowed from a library. Is that not the case in the US? https://www.plr.uk.com/ https://www.plr.uk.com/
fennecfoxen 10y ago
I don't believe there is any difference, and have stated as much. But principles are supposed to be the things you seriously inconvenience yourself to defend, not the things you use as a convenient excuse to make things more convenient. I mean, if you just said "property is theft!" as a justification when you lifted peoples' wallets, it'd seem a bit like "situational ethics". When you have an intellectual beef with someone while pirating their intellectual output in the form of literature, though, that's really going the extra mile. It may not be complete hypocrisy, but it sure has a lot of the appearance thereof.
- sneak 10y ago
  I don't believe in or support copyright or Orson Scott Card's commercial success in any line of business.
codesmurf 10y ago
The authors get paid by the library, when they lend you a book (at least here in Denmark). So it is not the same.

r_smart 10y ago

Another point to tack onto this: The value of the work itself is well worth paying for, even if it has hidden costs to it, like when we drive cars or buy things made in sweatshops. His books are beautiful, and were influential to me when I was younger, particularly Speaker for the Dead. If one bigot helps to inspire tolerance and introspection in millions of people, then he'll have done far more harm than good, no matter how he spends the money. I was actually shocked to find out about his personal views years after reading his books. Perhaps he needs to give Speaker a read himself.