"It seems that many citizens are getting emails accusing them of illegally selling unwanted eBooks."
I've only seen the one email. Do you have any additional sources?
Also, this story isn't nearly as simple as you make it sound.
When the resale of ebook was legalized in the Netherlands in a ruling back in January, the judge attached conditions to the resale which were intended to reduce the chance of piracy. These ebook(s) were being sold through the Dutch equivalent of Ebay, and so the sales may have been illegal.
The same thing apparently happened a couple weeks ago with a Star Wars kid's book which was shipped to a bookstore early and then bought by an employee. He posted images to Imgur which were later removed.
The guy was too intimidated by Disney's legal threats to talk about it, but I think from the way the images were pulled from Imgur suggests the use of bogus DMCA notices.
The suits aren't intended to get the apps off the market but to drain the resources (time, energy, money) of the developers. This bullying is designed to be a deterrent which wills care others away from developing similar apps.
The copyright has already expired in countries with death plus fifty copyright terms. I for one would love to see someone in Canada challenge this rights grab.
"If ebook platforms and technology were more open, it's quite conceivable that we'd be experiencing a different kind of ebook revolution right now."
Ah, but we do have an open ebook platform. It's called Epub, and while the open concept worked at first, eventually things went awry. The latest version of Epub, Epub3, has so many innovative features suggested by so many contributors that it is effectively nonfunctional.
We're approaching the 4th anniversary of the Epub3 specs being finalized, and yet support remains sporadic at best. Epub3 is so complicated that (according to the EpubTest website) Apple only supports about 60% of the spec. Google supports less, and Kobo supports somewhere between 54% and 65% (depending on the app).
In comparison, Apple released its proprietary form of Epub3 (it's called iBooks) in early 2012, and released a tool to make that format (iBooks Author).
Amazon also has its own response to Epub3 (it's called KF8). That was announced in late 2011, beta-launched on the first-gen Fire tablet that year, and released to the world in January 2012.
Far from ebook innovation being held back by closed and proprietary formats, it would seem to me that the closed ebook formats are more successful and more functional due to the fact that they are closed.
And while this open/closed conclusion might not apply in all situations, it does in ebooks because the real problem isn't open-ness but technical complications and market disinterest. Consumers don't really want ebooks that are more complicated that the paper books they buy, so there's no demand to push innovation forward.
P.S. I edit a blog called The Digital Reader. This is my area of expertise, so I know what I am talking about.
PETA doesn't have a case, and they don't have a good argument for why copyright law should be rewritten.
Copyrights exist as a way of rewarding creators and encouraging them to produce more works. If the monkey gets this copyright, will it be inspired to take more photos?
Will other monkeys be inspired to take of photography or another art form?
No? Then there's no point in upsetting existing law.
"RaGaPa's tech loads the page via the hotspot, then make three edits over HTTP: the injection of an advertising style sheet, the loading a backup advertisement (in case the user's browser has disabled Javascript), and the injection of a pair of scripts for managing advertisement selection and loading."
On the post: Dave Chappelle Thinks A Sock And A Dream Will Keep People From Using Phones At Shows
I usually leave it behind.
On the post: Dutch eBook Readers Being Reminded They Don't Actually Own Those eBooks They Bought
Re: Re:
We only have evidence of a single person getting an email, so "many citizens" is inaccurate. One person is not "many".
And no, it is not illegal in the Netherlands to resell your legally purchased ebooks. You just have to comply with certain conditions.
On the post: Dutch eBook Readers Being Reminded They Don't Actually Own Those eBooks They Bought
I've only seen the one email. Do you have any additional sources?
Also, this story isn't nearly as simple as you make it sound.
When the resale of ebook was legalized in the Netherlands in a ruling back in January, the judge attached conditions to the resale which were intended to reduce the chance of piracy. These ebook(s) were being sold through the Dutch equivalent of Ebay, and so the sales may have been illegal.
On the post: Spain Brings In New Snooping Law; Allows Wide-Ranging Surveillance -- And Government Malware
So this law really doesn't come as a surprise, does it?
On the post: Disney Sending Out DMCA Notices Over Pictures Fans Took Of Their Legally Purchased Star Wars Toy
The guy was too intimidated by Disney's legal threats to talk about it, but I think from the way the images were pulled from Imgur suggests the use of bogus DMCA notices.
On the post: German Publisher Axel Springer Just Can't Stop Suing Ad Blockers, And Attacking Its Own Readers
innovation
The suits aren't intended to get the apps off the market but to drain the resources (time, energy, money) of the developers. This bullying is designed to be a deterrent which wills care others away from developing similar apps.
On the post: Pure Copyfraud: Anne Frank Foundation Trying To Pretend Her Father Wrote Her Diary... To Extend Its Copyright
but it's already expired
The copyright has already expired in countries with death plus fifty copyright terms. I for one would love to see someone in Canada challenge this rights grab.
On the post: Happy Birthday Copyright Saga Not Over Yet: Warner Asks Judge To Reconsider, Filmmakers Push For Public Domain Ruling
Re: Mootness and advisory opinions
On the post: Konami Ingeniously Fuses Two Things Everybody Hates: Insurance And In-Game Microtransactions
That's a nice FOB you have there
On the post: Apple Punishes iFixit For Doing A Tear Down On Apple TV
Re: iFixit is in the wrong
On the post: Apple Punishes iFixit For Doing A Tear Down On Apple TV
Re: iFixit is in the wrong
On the post: The Stagnation Of eBooks Due To Closed Platforms And DRM
Open, Shmopen
Ah, but we do have an open ebook platform. It's called Epub, and while the open concept worked at first, eventually things went awry. The latest version of Epub, Epub3, has so many innovative features suggested by so many contributors that it is effectively nonfunctional.
We're approaching the 4th anniversary of the Epub3 specs being finalized, and yet support remains sporadic at best. Epub3 is so complicated that (according to the EpubTest website) Apple only supports about 60% of the spec. Google supports less, and Kobo supports somewhere between 54% and 65% (depending on the app).
In comparison, Apple released its proprietary form of Epub3 (it's called iBooks) in early 2012, and released a tool to make that format (iBooks Author).
Amazon also has its own response to Epub3 (it's called KF8). That was announced in late 2011, beta-launched on the first-gen Fire tablet that year, and released to the world in January 2012.
Far from ebook innovation being held back by closed and proprietary formats, it would seem to me that the closed ebook formats are more successful and more functional due to the fact that they are closed.
And while this open/closed conclusion might not apply in all situations, it does in ebooks because the real problem isn't open-ness but technical complications and market disinterest. Consumers don't really want ebooks that are more complicated that the paper books they buy, so there's no demand to push innovation forward.
P.S. I edit a blog called The Digital Reader. This is my area of expertise, so I know what I am talking about.
On the post: Mad Max Fury Road Re-Edit Taken Down Because Of Course It Was
Re:
On the post: Mad Max Fury Road Re-Edit Taken Down Because Of Course It Was
https://xkcd.com/311/
It is a gloriously unique action film. It is so different from the average action film that I honestly can't tell yo if it is good or not.
On the post: Monkey Business: PETA Sues On Behalf Of The Monkey Selfie; Claims Copyright Belongs To The Monkey
Copyrights exist as a way of rewarding creators and encouraging them to produce more works. If the monkey gets this copyright, will it be inspired to take more photos?
Will other monkeys be inspired to take of photography or another art form?
No? Then there's no point in upsetting existing law.
On the post: No Library For You: French Authorities Threatening To Close An App That Lets People Share Physical Books
On the post: AT&T Injecting Ads Into Its Wi-Fi Hotspot Data Streams
So this is clearly piracy, right?
On the post: Nail Salon Owner Sues For Return Of Life Savings Seized By DEA Agents At Airport
Re:
But I thought that was what happened?
On the post: Cops Raid Marijuana Dispensary In Order To Play Darts, Sample Edibles And Offer To Kick Amputee Owner 'In The Nub'
Re:
"Hey, that's a nice shop you got there. It would be a shame if something happened to it."
On the post: US Government's HR Department Has Been Hacked, Government Employee Data Leaked
Re: "Identity theft protection"
I ask because I have letters dated 3 September and 22 March which detail two previous hacks (say the word and I will scan and post them).
So is the identity theft protection offered concurrently or consecutively, do you think?
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