Current Events > If I have a physical copy of a book do I deserve a digital copy for free?

(+) Yeah! (+)

just wondering

I do think it wouldn't be a bad idea if printed books started coming with digital copies, like vinyl records or DVDs/Blu-Rays now...

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That's a totally sound idea, maybe link it to the disk itself or something

Yes

I wish I could convert my entire physical library onto a Kindle format

So many benefits

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I've felt that this should have been a thing for a while now.

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We should definitely converge on some kind of more interconnected system of media. In terms of other means of obtaining media, I particularly don't feel bad obtaining something I've already paid for elsewhere.

How does the law handle this?

Is it the same as roms?

You are just ensuring you have a digital backup?

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If you have a physical copy of a book you deserve to be shoved in a locker, NERD!
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How long ago did YOU purchase this book? (or was it given to you?)

How OLD is this book? (from the 1920s or something?)

EvilResident posted...

How OLD is this book? (from the 1920s or something?)

if it's that old it's in public domain and you can get digital copies for free regardless of whether or not you own a physical copy

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Golden_Key33 posted...

I've felt that this should have been a thing for a while now.

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Marvel graphic novels seem to do this. I never opened the sealed books, but they all say there's a free digital copy included.

I'm surprised how cool movie studios are with providing every physical copy with a free digital copy, but shit seems like taboo for video games. Very fucking weird. Every physical game should come with a free digital copy. If the movie studios can do it, so can the gaming studios.

Fucking assholes.

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averagejoel posted...

if it's that old it's in public domain and you can get digital copies for free regardless of whether or not you own a physical copy

Oh yea good point

Morally yeah

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Alteres posted...

How does the law handle this?

Is it the same as roms?

You are just ensuring you have a digital backup?

I just want to read it on my phone before I go to bed instead of near a lamp or nightlight. And not have to lug it around when I'm put and ruin the binding of the book

They're probably worried about the prospect of customers buying the book for the digital copy, then re-selling the physical version. I have no idea how widespread that would become or how much it would realistically hurt their revenue, but that's my guess.

Comic books are in a perpetual death spiral and are constantly looking for new gimmicks to boost their direly anemic readership. They do sometimes give free digital copies, but I don't think that's a permanent fixture. I think either DC or Marvel stopped doing that a while ago. But they may have started it again, idk.

But that all said, I don't see anything morally wrong with acquiring your own digital copy of something you own.

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I don't think so

If they start pricing books to include digital copies and would adjust the price of what you're purchasing to account for that digital copy, sure

But for books that I have that are like 15 years old, I don't automatically deserve the digital copy for them. I bought those books at a time where digital either wasn't a thing or wasn't as big. Since then, someone had to actually digitize the book, place it on a shop, update it, maintain whatever needs to be maintained, etc. So if they just gave that shit away for free it wouldn't help them cover those costs or make any profit

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I'd be down with a code that expires then, since movies used to do that

Noumas posted...

I'd be down with a code that expires then, since movies used to do that

I don't think those movie codes actually expire most of the time, even though it says they do

I didn't use to take advantage of digital, and about a year ago I went and looked at a bunch of old DVDs/Blu Rays that had old expired codes, tried them anyway, and I think most of them worked

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Not free but maybe 5 bucks more and you should be able to get a digital copy too.

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Golden_Key33 posted...

I've felt that this should have been a thing for a while now.

It's a pretty common practice when buying physical music these days.

I buy a lot of vinyl records and they often include a download card so that you can have a digital version of the album as well.
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Yes

You can either make the digital version yourself or pay a price that is similar to the work required to create this digital copy