Re: [tlug] [OT] eBooks

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

Edward Middleton writes:

 > Amazon's problems were caused by the way they chose to implement their
 > service.  If they hadn't implemented the ability to track customer
 > purchases and remove what was on your kindle they wouldn't be in this
 > situation, just like a book store isn't in this situation.

I thought about this.  Think carefully, and you'll see the bookstore
analogy is flawed.  Specifically, the bookstore (and Amazon) only have
to give up their customer lists to the copyright holder.  If they
don't, they are liable for statutory damages at least.  In the case of
the bookstore, the plaintiff is unlikely to go any farther.

I can imagine that there are (a) technical reasons for Amazon to have
the capability to delete files from a connected Kindle, and (b)
business reasons, namely, to be able to offer refunds for goods
returned (I don't know if they do that, but they might very well want
the option even if it is not currently implemented).  (b) is hardly
feasible if you can't confirm that the file has been deleted.  Given
that they do have the capability, Amazon might very well end up facing
a court order to delete the files.  (It was major idiocy to do so
without a court order, of course.)

Talking about "privacy" is nonsense, as the notes and so on are
apparently uploaded to Amazon's cloud anyway, and (like a credit card,
which is owned by the bank and delegated to you), apparently Amazon
retains ownership in the bits.  So if you want privacy, you're going
to have to find a different way to get your eBooks.