arfink Posted July 6, 2013 Author Share Posted July 6, 2013 (edited) I guess, in the long run, anyone who has an ounce of technical savvy can convert this file themselves. In that light, going after Brandon Vogt for doing as a public service was petty and silly. I do think it is indicative of a much larger problem with copyright at the USCCB. I have been a bit peeved about the USCCB's control over other liturgical texts for some time now. They are obviously not really using the copyright to protect the integrity of the texts, nor is that a reasonable argument, since those who would like to twist the text would surely do it anyway, regardless of copyright. The faithful have no interest in perverting the texts, and for the most part mean no harm in doing things like making digital editions. Men like Brandon even show their goodwill by taking the files down when requested, even without a properly served DMCA takedown request. Edited July 6, 2013 by arfink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qfnol31 Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 That's idiotic. Like Nihil said, it makes sense to charge for a paper copy. But if the VATICAN has offered digital copies for free, it makes absolutely no sense for the USCCB to charge for digital copies. If it was their document and they wanted to charge for it, they could. But it's not. It's the Pope's document. And it's written to (among others) the lay faithful. We have a RIGHT to read it. We have a right to read it, but not a right to redistribute it. This is determined by US law and not by any other law, and is enforceable as such here in the US. Here is an example of these rights in actions: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/anselm-curdeus.asp (free use for all, stated as such at the bottom of the page) http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/ath-inc.htm (what looks to be a violation of US copyright law) http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.html (varies, depending on the format and how you want to use it - this series is no longer bound by copyright, and yet it is not free for you to distribute if you find it on the website, unless you use only the plain text version) Copyright laws in the US are very strict and don't just pertain to the text, but also to the people who make the texts available. If I make a public domain work available in some format, I can copyright it. In this case, the Vatican is the one who has not opened the texts up to free distribution (and more exactly Libreria Editrice Vaticana, who owns the Copyright in all the languages I looked up). It's up to them to open to establish the free distribution. I don't know what they want the USCCB to do, but legally and morally, the USCCB is doing what they're supposed to do in enforcing the copyright and it's very possible that they were asked to prevent such publications from going out in the first place. If you want to know why the USCCB charges for digital copies, reach out to them. It's not unusual for a publication to charge for ebooks, particularly because certain distributers require fees to distribute the books. I can probably find a contact or two who'd be willing to say something if you're really interested. I don't think that all the USCCB's policies are solely its own; I think they also follow what the Vatican wishes as well. By the way, if anyone wants to see a ripoff for ebooks, look here: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Bombay Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 I'm confused. I downloaded the pdf to my kindle and am reading it off there. Am I not supposed to be able to do that? Is my Kindle engaged in some sort of magic that I'm not aware of? Why is there a need to convert a pdf to something that is readable on a Kindle when I've been reading pdfs on my Kindle since I bought it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted July 6, 2013 Author Share Posted July 6, 2013 I'm confused. I downloaded the pdf to my kindle and am reading it off there. Am I not supposed to be able to do that? Is my Kindle engaged in some sort of magic that I'm not aware of? Why is there a need to convert a pdf to something that is readable on a Kindle when I've been reading pdfs on my Kindle since I bought it? Because the PDF is crippled. Apparently the text is what you call non-flowing which means that if you resize the text it doesn't change the line lengths or anything like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Bombay Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 Because the PDF is crippled. Apparently the text is what you call non-flowing which means that if you resize the text it doesn't change the line lengths or anything like that. Crippled you say? Huh. Maybe I should buy a Nook. I'll bet the Nook doesn't cripple anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted July 6, 2013 Author Share Posted July 6, 2013 :idontknow: Personally, I'm not interested in an EPUB. I just think it's ridiculous to mess with people who want to convert it to EPUB and share their work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laudate_Dominum Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 By the way, if anyone wants to see a ripoff for ebooks, look here: I don't see a link or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laudate_Dominum Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 :idontknow: Personally, I'm not interested in an EPUB. I just think it's ridiculous to mess with people who want to convert it to EPUB and share their work. It's the fact that it's an encyclical letter that gets me. Did Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict agree to this arrangement? If not, phooey! If so, I'm boycotting Peter's Pence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qfnol31 Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 I don't see a link or anything. Phatmass ate it...https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=qxe6Ib-5sEwC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qfnol31 Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 I know it's easy to be hard on the USCCB, but I believe in most of the aforementioned instances they also must get permissions themselves. In the case of the Missal, ICEL or whatever it's called owns the rights and the USCCB licences the text from them. As such they're required and have a vested interest in protecting copyright. They pay for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisa Marie Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 I've been thinking about this, and maybe one reason why they might be coming down so hard on people distributing it is to protect the integrity of the text. Which would make sense, I guess. Or maybe it's just their lawyers being lawyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightofChrist Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 (edited) I've been thinking about this, and maybe one reason why they might be coming down so hard on people distributing it is to protect the integrity of the text. Which would make sense, I guess. Or maybe it's just their lawyers being lawyers. Most likely the latter. They have a history of using copyright on Church documents like a modern corporation. The truth of faith shouldn't be behind a pay wall and the faithful shouldn't be treated as criminals or threatened because they share the documents of the faith.http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=89 Edited July 6, 2013 by KnightofChrist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 I've been thinking about this, and maybe one reason why they might be coming down so hard on people distributing it is to protect the integrity of the text. Which would make sense, I guess. Or maybe it's just their lawyers being lawyers. If that were actually the case, and I do not believe for a second that it is, they should simply not distribute it to laypeople at all. A pdf can be edited, not to mention html. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apotheoun Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 I create my own PDF copies. of texts for personal use. It's not hard to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Red Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 Most likely the latter. They have a history of using copyright on Church documents like a modern corporation. The truth of faith shouldn't be behind a pay wall and the faithful shouldn't be treated as criminals or threatened because they share the documents of the faith.http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=89 agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now