As ethics go mine are pretty flexable regarding ebooks (popular authors can afford to have a few "illegal" ebook copies floating around as the can take the "cash" lost. ) My problem is due to authors who's books are "OUT OF PRINT" or is just not popluar enough to get RE-PRINTED.

Is it really bad to create "illegal " EBOOKS from these authors, I feel that your actually taking food out off there mouths. If the chance ever came to buy the book I'd do so in an instant (There is just something about HOLDING, FEELING ...eh ?.. a book), but in the mean time I'd settle for an ebook version. That at least keeps the BOOK circulating virtually..never really dying .. holding a half-life ..untill its published again.

Should I ? I shouldn't I ?

If you found the books in a charity shop and bought them would you not be denying the authors the revenue of new book sales as second hard books dont pay royalty fees the second time there sold?

i buy all my books from charity shops, as you can find some pretty good books there for much less than from new so is that stealing? no if it were then the charity shops could'nt sell them.

just a thought

A good question ArchAngelGabriel and an equally good reply Claire.....definitely books that are out of print the question of author royalties doesn't really apply, also in countries where OOP books or even in print books of a genre or certain authors that are impossible to obtain, ebooks is probably the only solution for people who want to read these works.

Not to mention Libraries. Many people borrow books from there, read and return them. The author will only receive royalties from the point where the library purchased them. Regardless of how many people read it after. Same applies for school libraries also.

Since we don't have to log on to see this section of the website, I can't speak freely. ArchAngelGabriel and admins, PM me if you want my full opinion.

I had written a long response to this before I got disconnected and lost everything, but the short version is "protectionism doesn't work" and a long rant against book burners.

I know the whole "copyright infringment" is a big issue these days (even regarding books),but it does seem a bit like PUTTING UP THE FENCE, WHILE THE HORSES HAVE ALREADY BEEN STOLEN.

Baen Publishers I think are doing it right !
Give the people what they want, get them hooked on it and they'd comeback for more, paying what and when they can (eh .. sounds a bit like drug dealing ). While also giving us the means of deciding who and what type of author and genres we like .... WITHOUT MAKING US FEEL LIKE THIEVERS ... OR WORSE.

I am currently (hopefully) about to start my proffessional career and while I will no doubt look and read my "illegal" ebooks. Those that catch my eye will be bought, HARDCOVER or PAPERBACK (depending on my salary), either to re-read or just to have a hardcopy off.

AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS MUST NOT ASSUME THAT PEOPLE ARE DISHONEST BY NATURE, OUT TO CHEAT THEM BY EVERY TURN
(BASICALLY I JUST STOLE ERIC FLINT'S SPEECH FROM THE BAEN FREE LIBRARY !)

On a sidenote:
I've decide to make an e-copy of these out-of-print books, that way they will never really dissappear and I can have them even as they are falling apart on me (as they are currently doing) in my local library (you can only re-bind and ressurrect books so many times).