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Comment by xavdid | Hacker News Reader

I wholeheartedly agree. I saw a great quote that summaries how I feel:

    Piracy isn't stealing if purchasing isn't ownership

Whenever I buy something, I start by trying to find a DRM-free version. ebooks.com has a whole section devoted to this (https://www.ebooks.com/en-us/drm-free/) and https://libro.fm exclusively sells DRM-free.

Failing that, I mostly get things from my local library (via Libby). Conveniently, those all have weak DRM, so one could still build a personal library that way.

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> Failing that, I mostly get things from my local library (via Libby). Conveniently, those all have weak DRM, so one could still build a personal library that way.

Doesn't this motivate publishers to only let books be shared from public libraries using strong DRM?

If it's a big enough problem, then maybe. Honestly it just seems like a cat and mouse game - there'll always be dedicated people willing to crack any new DRM scheme that comes out.

I would guess that the DRM mostly does its job though, but it's hard to say for sure!

Seems like it's creating a problem for libraries.

Libraries to Publishers: Please stop abusing our readers so much.

Readers: The library helps me pirate, muahahaha.

Publishers: I rest my case.

That quote is pirate propaganda.

1) All of the heavy lifting is done sneakily by the word "purchasing." Of course "purchasing" something feels like you ought to own it, but did you "purchase" X or did you just pay for limited access to it? That's the entire debate, but this quote baits you into thinking of everything in terms of purchasing / panders to people that already do.

2) This quote amounts to "if paying cannot get you full ownership of X then getting a full copy of X for free is not stealing (so go ahead)." How about you always pay the creator and then pirate only for the additional ownership rights? I'm sure the quote reads that way to some people, but clearly it was crafted to also appeal to the "I just want stuff for free" crowd.

I think you misread my comment. When I talk about "piracy" here, I mean "removing DRM from a thing I paid for (or otherwise had free access to)". Being able to buy a DRM-free copy of something is far and away my preferred method of getting something. Unfortunately, those opportunities are few and far between, but I take them when offered. Failing that, I'll buy something and pop the DRM.

In each of these cases, the creators are getting paid. I'm just getting an actual durable file out of the deal, not DRM garbage that I'll hopefully still be able to use later.

Apologies. I was simply attacking the quote. I did not mean to comment on your other words. Reading my comment now I see how "how about you" can sound like I am talking to you. I meant it like, the modified quote was being said by a very pro-piracy strawman and I was talking to him, "how about you."

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