Blog Marco

Okay, You've got a bookshelf of old books you want to clear out. So you get your camera out take a few shots and then go list them on eBay or walk to your local second-hand bookshop to resell them. What do you do with eBooks you've bought online? Can you resell them? Here comes the legal dilemma.

This issue is also intertwined with trust... In theory you can resell eBooks - well transfer the right to own of your own digital copy to another party - but you've got to *promise* to trash (delete) your copy. With a physical book - there will always be one copy to deal with when you sell your second hand book to another perosn. But with a digital eBook - multiple copies can be created with a click of the button - so the author or the copyright holder may not be happy with you offloading their eBook on eBay if you don't have reseller rights.

At this stage of the Internet game, its probably best to contact the website or author from which you bought the ebook and enquire where they stand on this issue - if you are simply unhappy with your ebook purchase you could request a returned product. You could negotiate with them that you would only resell and transfer your right to own one copy to to another and then you'll delete your copy. But what assurance does the copyright holder have that you will delete your copy?

Nothing.

The Internet | Random Stuff | bookmark | reddit | cosmos»