Group Licenses for PDFs?

[Nifft]

Anyone offer "Group Licenses" for PDF files? I'm thinking of using some PDF products, and it'd be nice if everyone in my group could view them. With paper books, I can show people things when they're over, or lend them the actual book(s). I'd like to have the same legal freedom with PDFs.

So, my options are:

1) Ask everyone in the group to buy a copy. This is problematic because some people have more money than others.

2) Buy everyone thier own copy myself. This is what I'd like to be rich enough to do, but I'm not.

3) Put the PDFs up on our private web site and let everyone in the group download them for free. This is easiest, cheapest, and makes me feel not-quite-right. Honor has value, too.

Ideally, I'd like to find a place between (2) and (3) which allows me to purchase a "group license" for up to, say, 5-10 people to use a PDF product, for only double the price of a single copy.

Any publishers have a product like this? Anyone interested in trying it?

Thanks, -- Nifft

 

[Piratecat]

Considering that I just closed a thread on piracy, please do not turn this thread into a piracy discussion. Stay on topic, folks, or the thread gets closed.

In any event, I'll move this over to the Publishers forum where the right folks will see it.

 

[Larry Fitz]

I like this idea Nifft. I don't think double would cover it, but maybe triple or 2.5x the price... since groups do share printed books I don't see why this idea couldn't fly. Unfortunately for you, I'm a writer and none of my work is available yet in PDF download format. But I will discuss this with the powers that be at my publisher.

 

[philreed]

Group License

Great idea. I think I'd offer something like $10 for 5 people plus $1 for each extra person. But my PDFs are only about $3 each right now so that isn't a great savings.

There may be a way to make something like this work. It's worth discussing.

 

[Larry Fitz]

The problem comes in "What constitutes a group?" After all could the Enworld members be considered a group? I think the best scheme is one that limits the size of the group to like eight, at which point you have to start over. Or something like that....

 

[MythosaAkira]

Anyone offer "Group Licenses" for PDF files? I'm thinking of using some PDF products, and it'd be nice if everyone in my group could view them. With paper books, I can show people things when they're over, or lend them the actual book(s). I'd like to have the same legal freedom with PDFs.

Why not just print out the PDF, and treat it like you would any other printed product?

 

[tensen]

I think the simplest manner to do this would be to just query the publisher that you want to get the material from.

We at Dark Quest would happily work out a deal.
We don't have a set rate in place, because well no one has ask for this before.

 

[Morrus]

Given the fact that, as a publisher of PDF products, I have no way to monitor, affect or take action against those who do otherwise, I''ll say the following:

You have permission from Natural 20 Press to distribute a PDF copy of one of our book to those in your gaming group, as long as you don't take the p*ss. I'm sure you'll know when you're taking the p*ss.

Of course, I'd consider it a courtesy, and be very grateful, if each person in that group were to buy their copy. That, at the least, is good manners and shows respect to those who provide the materials in the first place.

This post should absolutely not be regarded as legally binding on my part.

 

[jmucchiello]

I have stated in this forum in the past that I expect that a player who buys my PDFs will probably share some of the information therein with his DM. I had been planning to add a legal disclaimer to the next PDF saying you have the right to share some of this info with your DM as long as you only share enough to give him information about your character. The only problem is I don't think the OGL allows me to make that grant for OGC that is not mine to start with. Since the reader cannot determine what is my IP and what is IP I've gained throught the OGL (such as anything in the SRD), I can't make such a disclaimer.

But, if it makes you feel any better, I don't mind if you share parts of my works with your DM without buying him his own copy. I just don't think I can grant you such permission legally.

 

[Drawmack]

Hmmm,
Putting this out there to the publishers. With printed books providing additional coppies costs additional funds so we have to pay for those books however if I were to purchase a dozen of your books directly would you cut me a deal? This is retorical. With a PDF there is no additional cost incurred to the publisher for a downloaded pdf so I would say the chances should be greater. Let me propose something.

To gamers how many would be willing to pay full price for the first pdf and half price for the rights to distribute that pdf to others that play in your game(s)? So 7 people with a $5 pdf only costs $20 instead of $35.

To publishers of pdfs, how many of you would be willing to work a deal like this?