> > Downloading a book for free would be in most cases wrong -- > > sometimes publishers have set up that sort of thing, and of > > course some are out of copyright. > >I don't see what's better about buying a used book from a store than >getting a photocopy from someone. [...] If I may interject, the problem with a photocopy is that the person who made the copy still retains the original and can continue to make more copies. If he sells you his copy, the author has already profited from the initial sale -- the new seller is merely recouping some of his investment by having you, effectively, refund him for part of his original sale. If, on the other hand, he makes 50 copies, that's 49 editions on the market that the author hasn't been compensated for, and which are competing with legitimate copies of the work. It it's an out-of-print title, this may not matter much, but even then there is always the possibility that the title will be reprinting, in which case such copies diminish the market for them. That said, there's never been a serious problem with photocopy piracy because of the expense and time involved in physically photocopying a work. Digital media, on the other hand, are rediculously easy to copy. A single copy can be multiplied indefinitely, as can all of the copies of copies of copies, and so forth. This can quickly lead to a devaluation of the work and a loss of revenue to the publisher and the author. _________________________________________________________________ Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail