I don't see any disagreement here between what I posted and David's concern.
His book is in print and anyone who wants to read it should buy a copy (*).
But if his book is out of print he doesn't get a royalty no matter what
anyone does.
(*) Books are a bit more complex - aside from the resale issue which he
mentions, there is no royalty whenever anyone reads a library copy. Some
publishers have criticised libraries on that ground. My only strong feeling
about that is that if my mother had not spent her poverty-stricken childhood
in public libraries she never would have become a successful writer and
editor.
Bill Silvert
----- Original Message -----
From: "David M. Lawrence" <d...@fuzzo.com>
To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 7:25 PM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] stealing from websites
Now I'll argue the opposite of what I posted the other day :) While I am
largely sympathetic to what Bill posts here, the counter argument for the
originators of creative works is that by unauthorized use of our work, the
theft is in the loss of earnings from a potential sale of said work.
For example, I should get a royalty every time someone buys a new copy of
my first book, "Upheaval from the Abyss." (I get nothing from resales,
however). If someone uploads a pdf of the work for all to download -- I
get no royalty. Everyone who would download that copy for free would be
doing the same thing as someone who grabs a box of cigars and runs out of
the store without paying...
