Book People Archive

e books and copyright

Hi Michael, 

I agree with you about the cumbersome nature of copyright, however aren't
all legal documents much longer and cumbersome than needed? I think so. 

Legalities are never the fun part of any type of writing, publishing or
distribution prospect, yet where would artists be without it? Probably
signing their lives away to publishers (as if they don't already in most
cases).  Possibly the point to your discussion however is not protection of
artists' work currently standing under the protection of copyright, but the
problems it brings to those who wish to pervey the advancement of literature
under those works outside the copyright and the ridiculous red tape expected
to provide valuable free works to others. This should not be the case. Yet
the delemmia is how to provide the effective lack of red tape for works no
longer standing under copyright. How do you ensure that ethics will prevail
with all, and some people will not use these unprotected works for their own
financial glory? 

While some publishers exist as a means of effectively promoting the arts,
others are in the business only to make the allmightly dollar. And that is
where the lack of ethics comes in. You cannot possibly set a standard for
all, only yourself, and hope over time these ethical standards have a
trickle effect, yet how idealistic is that I've often considered. Someone
that starts out concerned with the allmighty dollar usually only becomes
more indulgent in their own lack of ethical moral standards. So where is the
line to be drawn between promoting the arts and protecting them from those
we might consider scam artists? Therein are the problems with the
frustration many feel regarding copyright. They exist to protect the
innocent, the intelligent, and the inventive against those who without a
creative bone in their body prey vulture upon those who concieve we live in
a world free of piracy, thieves and robbers of minds and ideas.
Unfortunately we do not. What is the compromise between works currently
standing under copyright for good reason and those that should be
distributed freely without cost. I'm not sure there is one at the moment,
but as I have discussed before in some other discussion lists ideas were
never the conception of one person, nor will they ever be, rather a
collection of ideas from many different sources. One person simply wrote
them down, and as such it seems to me that if a collection of ideas can be
written and copyrighted it should be simple for the professionals in this
industry to collect themselves, get organized, and set a standard for this
new electronic medium. After all, it is the professionals that are
ultimately effected by these laws in the end. And while I know there is a
board supposedly setting a standard for such things as distribution, reader
formatting and the like, I am not convinced their motives are not somewhat
off center. After all any of us can be a member of this group of ethical
decision makers if we wish to pay the outlandish price of membership they
require. I personally feel membership should be contingent upon what you
have done in this industry, what steps you as a professional are taking to
ensure ethics through your own business, and what you are personally doing
to promote the arts. Shouldn't your check book be the last consideration? It
doesn't seem so. 

In any case this group claims to be setting the standards, and making the
rules for all of us, which I highly object to since there doesn't seem to be
the collection of ideas necessary to promote a well rounded view,
particularly since membership is based on finances. And I don't name this
group because I try to shy away from anything considered slamming as that
just doesn't seem professional. People can find this group easily enough if
they are interested in doing the research anyway. 

[Moderator: One industry group that is attempting to set standards for
 "ebook" formatting and distribution is the Open eBook Forum.  Information
 on the group, its membership, and fees, can be found at
 http://www.openebook.org/   I don't know if this is the group the poster
 above has in mind or not, but I thought a specific example of an
 an "ebooks standards" group might be helpful.  - JMO]