[free-sklyarov] The Anti-DMCA Index -- Libraries, Ebooks and the DMCA

[Jon O .]

On 13-Aug-2001, Roger Sperberg wrote:
> On 13-Aug-2001, Jon O. wrote:
> 
> >Diaz has no right to tell me what I can do with a Public Domain ebook.
> >Project Gutenberg should review its licensing and take control back
> >from the greedy corporations attempting to usurp the public's
> >Intellectual Rights.
> 
> Since Adobe is not the publisher of any of the titles it distributes, it's
> not
> clear to me why you think it is Adobe telling you what you may or may not do
> with a public-domain e-book.
> 
> The permissions are set by the publisher. Anyone may take a public domain
> title and publish it. Neither Project Gutenberg nor anyone else can restrict
> them in
> any way -- since it's public domain, PG doesn't own that work. No one owns
> it. And
> the only thing PG could do is specify conditions under which the publisher
> uses the
> licensed Project Gutenberg trademark.
> 

This is all true, I understand how it works. Diaz should maybe make a
checkbox that says: "Is this work Public Domain? If so click here." At that
point no publisher could restrict any activies. 

I still can't see how can we allow a publisher to restrict Public Domain
works they didn't even convert.

PG is doing a nice thing. They are assisting with the growth of knowledge
throughout the world. Then some big companies make a format that becomes
the most widely used, sprikle in some restrictions and make a mockery of 
the original ideals which converted the book to digital format in the first
place.