The NY Times ethicist advises a reader that downloading an illegal, pirated version of a book is not unethical as long as you’ve paid for the physical version.
People who like reading books are delighted! People who like getting paid for books are pissed!
I have a feeling I’m coming down on the side of the book-seller on this one — in other words, I don’t think I can agree with The Ethicist. Yeah, it’s super-inconvenient that the publisher decided not to sell an electronic version of their book. But it’s their book, after all; and if they want to be annoying about it, well, again, it’s their book. Just because you want something doesn’t mean you can feel good about taking it.
That having been said, I don’t think it’s that unethical. One download — of a product that wasn’t being sold online — is a drop in the bucket of piracy. (Uploading it for thousands of people to take, on the other hand, I would consider to be far worse.)
A single download is only a little bit different from borrowing a stranger’s copy rather than buying your own. If it was me, I’d have gone for the download, illegally and unethically. And rather than trying to rationalize it and talk myself into not being a bad person, I’d just have been satisfied to choose an unethical act over senseless self-deprivation.
How about you?
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- The Future of Comic Books, Publishers, and the iPad: Interview with Justin Hall, Part 3 of 3
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- Writers Getting Paid
- NewsTilt: A Brand New Market for Journalism
- How to Sell Your Comic Book: An Interview with Justin Hall, Part 2 of 3
I'm a writer and photographer in San Francisco, curious about how people can get away with writing all day while also being able to afford to buy groceries. 