JWander wrote:
someone tell me when the publishers are going to put something on actual books so we can't lend them either!
They did in the old days, and Congress passed a law that said that they couldn't: 17 USC 109(a), commonly known as "First Sale". Congress hasn't passed any equivalent law for e-books.
Also, the existing First Sale doctrine is under fire. In two court cases unrelated to books, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that First Sale doesn't apply in certain cases. In Omega v. Costco, the court ruled that copies made outside of the US aren't eligible for First Sale protection, and in Vernor v. Autodesk, the court ruled that a shrinkwrap End User License Agreement (EULA) that forbids resale overrides the statutory First Sale permissions.
So don't be surprised if publishers start having books printed outside the US, and enclosing them in a shrinkwrap with a EULA that forbids lending or transfer of ownership.
JWander wrote:
whenever I've bought a hard copy book, I've lent it to tons of people. I should be able to do the same bloody thing with a digital book!
You can: just lend them your NOOK with the e-book on it.
The difference is that with a book, you're lending your copy of the book. What you're asking for is the permission to make a new copy for someone else, and the point of copyright law is to give the copyright holder control over who, if anyone, is permitted to make copies of the work. And that list probably doesn't include you.
