Book People Archive

Internet & Copyright Law

To me it seems that the internet is a very big public library.  The
internet is invaluable to me as a research tool.  I can find out about
anything that may strike my interest.  And its holdings are more vast
and filled with personal views (less academic) about the subjects as
well.  An advantage of a text on internet is that it is accessible by
all users, and the copy is never already checked out.  The advantage of
hardcover books is portability and the comfort of the concreteness.

  I would not expect a library to be insulted with a demand for royalty
payments and I find it equally insulting to demand the same from
internet libraries.

  For me, the internet version of a text is an incentive to search out
my own copy of the book I may like.  Given to be conservative with my
money, the internet is a sort of preview, a chance to fall in love with
the text.  A chance that I might not take without the knowledge of the
text or author.

Tim Hopp