Comments on: Weekend Roundup — Used e-books, QR codes and the Amazon sweatshop http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/morning-roundup-used-e-books-qr-codes-and-the-amazon-sweatshop/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Fri, 24 May 2013 05:34:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Frank Lowney http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/morning-roundup-used-e-books-qr-codes-and-the-amazon-sweatshop/comment-page-1/#comment-1239401 Frank Lowney Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:28:01 +0000 http://www.teleread.com/?p=78601#comment-1239401 @ Marilynn, apparently Amazon thinks otherwise. As we've seen from reading Amazon's Terms of Sale, they only lease an eBook. They may think that they can enforce those terms at some point in the future such that they can transfer ownership from one customer to another. They are successively approximating a commercial environment where goods become services that require ongoing payments. Right now, we think that lease is in perpetuity but that may change. @ Marilynn, apparently Amazon thinks otherwise. As we’ve seen from reading Amazon’s Terms of Sale, they only lease an eBook. They may think that they can enforce those terms at some point in the future such that they can transfer ownership from one customer to another. They are successively approximating a commercial environment where goods become services that require ongoing payments. Right now, we think that lease is in perpetuity but that may change.

]]> By: Marilynn Byerly http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/morning-roundup-used-e-books-qr-codes-and-the-amazon-sweatshop/comment-page-1/#comment-1239243 Marilynn Byerly Mon, 11 Feb 2013 04:29:40 +0000 http://www.teleread.com/?p=78601#comment-1239243 By its very nature, digital material isn't rare because it can be reproduced a zillion times with minimal expense. If you are talking about a rare recording on a vinyl record or some other physical medium, then the physical medium can be transferred. If the content on that rare recording isn't under copyright, in most cases, you can make a digital copy. By its very nature, digital material isn’t rare because it can be reproduced a zillion times with minimal expense.

If you are talking about a rare recording on a vinyl record or some other physical medium, then the physical medium can be transferred.

If the content on that rare recording isn’t under copyright, in most cases, you can make a digital copy.

]]> By: Frank Lowney http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/morning-roundup-used-e-books-qr-codes-and-the-amazon-sweatshop/comment-page-1/#comment-1239167 Frank Lowney Sun, 10 Feb 2013 22:49:14 +0000 http://www.teleread.com/?p=78601#comment-1239167 Re Amazon's "used" eBook patent, it's intent may be preemptive but the effect is to create precedent for the transfer of digital goods. Personally, I like the idea of owning a digital object because it does not foreclose the possibility of my transferring what I have paid for to someone else. Take the example of rare. out of print, books. Why should there not be the possibility of a digital book that is rare? Digital assets are disappearing just as physical assets are disappearing and maybe faster at that. Re Amazon’s “used” eBook patent, it’s intent may be preemptive but the effect is to create precedent for the transfer of digital goods. Personally, I like the idea of owning a digital object because it does not foreclose the possibility of my transferring what I have paid for to someone else. Take the example of rare. out of print, books. Why should there not be the possibility of a digital book that is rare? Digital assets are disappearing just as physical assets are disappearing and maybe faster at that.

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