http://www.teleread.com/news-roundup-2/morning-roundup-stories-you-may-have-missed-45/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 22 May 2013 18:48:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 http://www.teleread.com/news-roundup-2/morning-roundup-stories-you-may-have-missed-45/comment-page-1/#comment-1224155 Frank Lowney Tue, 18 Dec 2012 02:52:33 +0000 http://www.teleread.com/?p=75672#comment-1224155 The "Right to Resell" piece alerts us to a rising backlash to the double-speak of eBook retailers who say "buy" this book when the reality is that we are actually renting it for who knows how long. Our first sale rights are not abrogated by the fact that the item for sale is in digital form. We waive those rights via the contracts we "sign." An important part of the moral validity of a contract is whether all parties genuinely understand the terms. In the case of eBooks, this is not at all clear. Purveyors of eBooks say "buy" when the contract says "rent." Since only a Philadelphia lawyer can see this duplicity, it's no wonder that the purchasing decisions of consumers are poorly informed. Eventually, though, enough people discover the ruse and begin agitating for legislation to level the playing field so that the average consumer understands the terms of sale. Hence, the call for "You bought it, you own it" laws. This could have been avoided with a more honest approach to the sale of eBooks. The “Right to Resell” piece alerts us to a rising backlash to the double-speak of eBook retailers who say “buy” this book when the reality is that we are actually renting it for who knows how long. Our first sale rights are not abrogated by the fact that the item for sale is in digital form. We waive those rights via the contracts we “sign.” An important part of the moral validity of a contract is whether all parties genuinely understand the terms. In the case of eBooks, this is not at all clear. Purveyors of eBooks say “buy” when the contract says “rent.” Since only a Philadelphia lawyer can see this duplicity, it’s no wonder that the purchasing decisions of consumers are poorly informed. Eventually, though, enough people discover the ruse and begin agitating for legislation to level the playing field so that the average consumer understands the terms of sale. Hence, the call for “You bought it, you own it” laws. This could have been avoided with a more honest approach to the sale of eBooks.

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