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There is a big difference between copying physical objects and digital ones. Books can be copied for sure, but the cost of copying a digital book is negligible
by dgudkov 7y ago
There is a big difference between copying physical objects and digital ones.
Books can be copied for sure, but the cost of copying a digital book is negligible compared to the cost of copying a real book. Zero cost of copying makes it possible to give it away for free (e.g. to drive traffic) and monetize otherwise (most digital piracy is business, not charity).
In the physical world, copied books are not given away for free typically because the cost of copying a book is relatively high.
Copyrighting digital items is a fundamental problem which has no good solution so far.
- zamadatix 7y agoDoes it matter what the cost is if it's cheaper and the money doesn't go to the owner? Seems like reasoning in search of a real world difference rather than a real world difference in search of reasoning.
- dredmorbius 7y agoA physical book can readily be hand-scanned in an hour. There are numerous guides to processing the scans from that point. Two of the besst I've found: https://natecraun.net/articles/linux-guide-to-book-scanning.html https://natecraun.net/articles/linux-guide-to-book-scanning.... https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Creating_a_DjVu_file https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Creating_a_DjVu_file
- dgudkov 7y agoIt's not about scanning. It's about printing (replicating) a book - it is significantly more expensive to replicate a real book than a digital book.
- ricardobeat 7y agoWell, he is arguing it’s not. I imagine you’ve seen a photocopier. You don’t need the copy to be the same print quality, size, or even bound at all. In fact copying entire books was done daily where I went to university and took no longer than 15m, at something like five bucks each. You’d bring that stack of A4 home, and maybe hand it down if it survived the semester.
- dredmorbius 7y agoI'm largely referring to digital reproduction. A tablet, or better, e-ink reader, can hold 1,000s of texts for the price of a single mid-priced academic work. And in most cases, sufices. Photocopying / xerographic printing is modestly expensive, though a high-quality laserprinter reduces costs to about a penny per printed side. Stock choice (acid-free rag, for durability) is a larger cost.