Question for the lounge: do I own my Audible and Kindle files like I own my paper books?

[Fridays Child]

Do I have the right to share those files with friends and family, just as I have the right to share the books on my bookshelves?

[MindMover]

1. The answer is yes if they have ereaders that work with those files ...

[Fridays Child]

2. Thanks!

[TM99]

3. Wrong. The answer is no.

According to Apple, Google, Amazon, B&N, etc. all iTunes tracks, eBooks, podcasts, audibles, apps, etc. are 'licensed' to you. You can confirm this on their respective terms and conditions pages. They are not sold to you.

Licensed content is single-use. It can not be transferred legally. The supreme court has also determined that the first-sale doctrine does not apply to digital apps and content. You can not sell your eBook nor lend it if and when you so decide.

Unless an eBook is a public domain free title, you are not allowed to share it. And purchasing the eBook does not make you an owner like with a paper book.

There is a real reason why torrenting is as it is.

Personally, if I still only buy hardbacks and paperbacks. The only eBooks I get are either checked out from a library or public domain and downloaded for free.

Caveat emptor.

[Incitatus]

4. Strange that they can allow libraries to lend ebooks, but buyers of ebooks can't lend their copies.

At any rate, they haven't exactly stopped DRM removal and torrenting. It's not as easy and common as other pirated media, but there's a lot out there.

[TeamPooka]

7. You can lend books through the Kindle on Amazon.

[Incitatus]

8. Yes, my mistake. The restrictions are pretty silly.

It's only available on certain books and you can only lend it one time for 14 days. You can't even transfer your account to someone else. So if you spend a few grand on ebooks, you can't give your account to someone when you die. I love my reader, but I don't love their terms. Fortunately, there is plenty of information about DRM removal that one can Google, if one were so inclined.

[Gravitycollapse]

5. No, you do not own it like a paper book. And you cannot transfer ownership.

In other words, you cannot sell it, nor give it away for free, to anyone else.

You have purchased a license to access the digital material.

[Fridays Child]

6. You know...

...that's what I upected, all along.

[Chan790]

9. As others have said...No. But one more thing needs to be added.

Not only don't you own them...there have been rare occasions when they've rescinded them and used their DRM software to "remove a book from print", by which I mean they used their network connection to go into people's machines to delete those books.


I would never buy an e-book reader. I have this yearly fugue state I go into during the holidays worrying that someone is going to buy me one and I'm not going to be able to easily return it and I don't want to seem unappreciative of an expensive gift I'm probably going to end up throwing away unused.

[Autumn]

10. Some of them you can share, some you cant.

At least that's how my Nook works.

[noamnety]

11. I think of it in terms of publishing and copyright laws.

If I buy a CD, I own it. I can physically loan it to a friend, but the point at which I start copying and redistributing/publishing it, I've broken copyright laws. If I physically hand my nook to a friend to read something on it, not a problem. If I'm duplicating the file and redistributing it, I need specific rights above and beyond that.

Same with text books. As a teacher, I can buy a textbook. I can loan the book to a student. I cannot legally xerox all the pages in it to provide them with free copies.

[AudibleClassAction]

12. Audible.com - Lost Book Credits for Cancelling?

I have been seeing tons of complaints around the web about Audible’s practice of seizing book credits that its users have already paid for.

Has anyone lost Audible.com credits after cancelling? Or lost credits for exceeding the monthly carry-over limit?

I am an attorney working on this issue and would love to speak with anyone who has experienced any loss of Audible.com credits. Our communications would remain confidential.

Feel free to contact me directly: [e-mail]

Thanks!

[Fridays Child]

13. Thanks for the information.

I haven't experienced this but I'll hang onto your email address!