Are the PDFs illegal, if you own the books?

[small pumpkin man]

A couple of things.

1)Allready mentioned, it's not theft, it's copyright infringment. What does this mean? It means if you get busted you'll get sued for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars instead of the community service/month of jail/slap on the wrist you'd get for stealing $35 of physical property.

2)The laws for copyright infringement vary greatly from country to country. Britain, US, Canada, Australia and various European countries all have very different laws regarding it. Thus there's a decent chance that any advice on it doesn't actually apply to you.

3) Ultimately, it is illegal in most countries to download it, although all the prosecutions that I've seen have involved movies/music.

 

[Fifth Element]

But they aren't stolen. Theft has to deprive the owner of the property. It is copyright infringment, and is illegal material and contraband, but not "stolen property"

Obligatory comment about not using such a narrow definition of "theft", we're not in a courtroom, we're using everyday meanings not legal definitions, etc.

 

[Lackhand]

Obligatory comment about not using such a narrow definition of "theft", we're not in a courtroom, we're using everyday meanings not legal definitions, etc.

Oh, you mean the one that makes Charwoman Gene even more right? That's why this is such a persnickety topic of law, after all.

But, yeah -- it's still not a great thing to do. C'mon, WotC, publish some _legal_ pdfs -- or, even better, structured text of some sort -- of your books!

Please?

 

[GeorgeFields]

I feel a little bad whenever I break this law, just like I do when I fudge my taxes, eat meat on Fridays, run red lights and shred jury duty forms..

Eating meat on Fridays is illegal?

 

[GeorgeFields]

C'mon, WotC, publish some _legal_ pdfs -- or, even better, structured text of some sort -- of your books!

Please?

I thought they did. Unfortunately, I think they want the same price for the pdf as they do the actual book.

 

[WhatGravitas]

But, yeah -- it's still not a great thing to do. C'mon, WotC, publish some _legal_ pdfs -- or, even better, structured text of some sort -- of your books!

Please?

Please! Though... I fear for the price...

Cheers, LT.

 

[ddmyth]

TimeOut, if you actually live in Germany, odds are fairly good that anything that seams too anal that the American posters will tell you about Copyright law does not apply to you (Long Live [read: drop dead] American Copyright Law ). I'm fairly certain, though not 100% so, that most European countries have copyright law closer to Canada than that of the United States of America. If you want to be certain of copyright law in your country, I recommend searching for it in your local library, or if you think you can find "real" laws for you on the internet, you can look there too.

Edit: Well, I've been Sarnath'd by ten minutes and a dozen posts. Ignore me.

 

[Lackhand]

Eating meat on Fridays is illegal?

It is if you're Catholic. Five to ten in the Big House, no time off for good behavior.

After all, it is through faith alone and not deeds... Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week, don't forget to post your bills on the way out!

 

[drothgery]

It is if you're Catholic. Five to ten in the Big House, no time off for good behavior.

Only during Lent.

 

[TimeOut]

Thank you all very much for your comments.

It seems that international copyright and the associated laws are really more complex then I thought. But we can always hope that WotC releases official PDFs for a reasonable price (and useable payment methods for international buyers).