NYTimes Columnist Explains How He Torrented 'The Bourne Identity' Because It Wasn't Available... Then Sent A Check
from the leaving-money-on-the-table dept
Famed NY Times columnist David Pogue has a history of recognizing that some of the "fears" about internet "piracy" are overblown. So it's great to see him using his NYTimes blog to explain how he ended up torrenting an unauthorized ebook copy of The Bourne Identity for his son. Apparently, due to royalty fights, Robert Ludlum's estate remains a hold-out on the ebook front, so there simply are no authorized ebooks to buy -- though Pogue tried pretty much every possible ebook store to see if he could track one down. Eventually, he did what many people do in such a situation:Dudes: It’s 2012. You’re among the last big-name holdouts on the face of the earth. You’re worried about the royalty rate? How about worrying about the thousands of dollars a month you’ve been leaving on the table by not offering the books to the public who’s willing to buy it?He notes that he then sent the publisher a check for $9.99. I am hoping that he will do a followup on whether or not they actually cash it.
Eventually, I did what I’m sure thousands of frustrated Ludlum fans wind up doing: I downloaded the book from a BitTorrent site.
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Filed Under: business models, david pogue, ebooks, robert ludlum, the bourne identity
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MAFIAA Get out of our lives.
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Weird
The Bourne Identity is available from the Kindle store here in the UK so I would find it strange if it weren't available in the US.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Bourne-Identity-Saga-ebook/dp/B0037471TE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-tex t&ie=UTF8&qid=1344025679&sr=1-1
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Re: Weird
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Abourne+identity&keywords=bourne+iden tity&ie=UTF8&qid=1344025980
Also, please see the first sentence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheque
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Re: Weird
http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/authors/anderson-poul
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Re: Weird
True for the UK but in the US it is spelled check.
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As in: "He paid them $9.99 by Czech".
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Finally, their request was granted and they immediately flew to New York and then on west to Yellowstone. They reported to the local ranger station and were told that it was the grizzly mating season and it was much too dangerous to go out and study the animals.
They pleaded that this was their only chance. Finally the ranger relented. The Russian and the Czech were given cell phones and told to report in each and every day.
For several days they called in, and then nothing was heard from the two scientists. The rangers mounted a search party and found the scientists' camp completely ravaged. No sign of the missing men.
They then followed the trail of a male and a female bear. They found the female and decided they must kill the animal to find out if she had eaten the scientists because they feared an international incident.
They killed the female and cut open the bear's stomach... only to find the remains of the Russian.
One ranger turned to the other and said, "You know what this means, don't you?"
"Of course," the other ranger nodded. "The Czech is in the male."
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You've shown either a major selection bias or a troll-tastic trollishness. Why do I say this?
Spelt is a grain and spelled is the past tense of spell in American English. Cheque is not midwest USA standard.
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Re: Re: Weird
That's because they can't get an oxford english dictionary either. rofl.
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Re: Weird
Check can be spelled either way you are talking about money, but only "check" when you are about seeing whether or not something is ok, "checking something out", etc..
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Re: Weird
In England, but not in the colonies...
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Re: Weird
A bit of digging shows different companies published the book in the UK than the US. It seems that HarperCollins (part of News Corp) was responsible for the UK publications, and Random House for the US ones.
That said, it seems that the e-book is available in the US anyway, and for $8.02. David Pogue should ask for $1.97 back, provided he doesn't get done for "copyright theft", attempted bribery (paying them off to not report him), encouraging and inciting "copyright theft" by publishing the blog post, trade mark infringement for mentioning the title of the book without a licence, maybe throw in libel and conspiracy to defraud for suggesting the book wasn't on Amazon, and whatever else those creative people at the publishing groups can come up with.
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Re: Re: Weird
This title is not available for customers from: United States
There's a page for it, but no way for US customers to buy it.
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This title is not available for customers from:
United States
Shop titles available for United States
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Re: Weird
Get over yourself.
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It should have been for $5.99
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Re: It should have been for $5.99
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More likely he will receive a $3500 settlement letter for copyright infringement.
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Compulsory License?
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Re: Compulsory License?
Oh no no no no. Ludicrous! That would not work for maximizing profits. Plus, we want consumers to have to use multiple platforms of DRM locked-down non-transferable formats because we like to have our digital items dispersed among Amazon, B&N, Google Books, Comixology, Dark Horse, etc., depending on who carries the title we want. And we certainly don't want the titles to be carried by everyone. That would be too convenient and consumer friendly. [Add emoticon here]
That's why I have paid for both the digital and hard copies of "Bunch of Amateurs" by Jack Hitt, and am still considering busting the DRM or pirating it so I'm not still locked in to B&N's tablet app. Problem is, damn kids don't upload this type of book to P2P sites.
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Re: Re: Compulsory License?
I don't know what the rule are for advertising these sites on TechDirt, so I'll refrain from telling what the site was that had the audiobook, but that site certainly kicks some serious ass, now that the demon has been (temporarily?)exorcised.
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The again, the proper thing to do in this situation would be to but someone else's book. It's not like there aren't many to choose from.
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Dragging their ass kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
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They'll cash it
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The comments are mind-blowing
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Seen this before
Who is benefiting? well that would be me and the site/author getting advertising for providing a link to the eBooks.
And if i come across a really good author i might just pay for his content. Just to encourage him to write some more.
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Re: Seen this before
If you want to support the "new economy" model, that's how it works. It's funny as heck to read all the people here going on and on about the new economy, and then they are all out there pirating the good stuff they refuse to pay for.
Two faced, that's what it is.
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Re: Re: Seen this before
You really don't get how you contradicted yourself here?
"If you want to support the 'new economy' model, that's how it works. It's funny as heck to read all the people here going on and on about the new economy, and then they are all out there pirating the good stuff they refuse to pay for."
The new economy model is a description of what's already happening, not a doctrine you "support." And something that somebody offers to you as a favor is not something you "refuse" to pay for.
I'm shocked at how illogical and superstitious the other side is becoming. Even creationists have the Bible - what do anti-torrenters have?
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Check (or cheque) out the comments on the NYTimes post
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Oh they can't because he tried as much as possible to pay and ended up sending a check.
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Now Available!
I've been waiting for this!
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