# Can I ask someone to send me ebooks here? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 6, 2002, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-ask-someone-to-send-me-ebooks-here/127304 "2002-09-06T16:35:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-ask-someone-to-send-me-ebooks-here/127304/1 "2002-09-06T16:35:59Z")
In this thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2426923#post2426923](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2426923#post2426923) I was wondering if ebooks can be treated like used books, and could I buy them? I live in Prague where English books are at a serious premium, so I was wondering if I could get a couple ebooks from people sent to me. I buy used books all the time, so I was thinking that they could be treated the same way. If this is shady, please edit my post, and accept my humble apologies due to ignorance -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-ask-someone-to-send-me-ebooks-here/127304/2 "2002-09-06T17:32:55Z")
Who publishes eBooks? What does the publishing company say about selling used eBooks? Why don’t you investigate that on the web and present your findings to us, along with relevant links? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-ask-someone-to-send-me-ebooks-here/127304/3 "2002-09-06T17:40:51Z")
At [ebooks.com](http://ebooks.com), when I clicked on “terms of use and licenses” (bottom of screen) and then “Purchase License” I see the following: > [@](#): > > I am bound by the limitations on copying embedded in the reader software supplied with the Items It sounds to me like you can’t resell your eBook. ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-ask-someone-to-send-me-ebooks-here/127304/4 "2002-09-06T18:18:24Z")
Boy, this could get messy… I think I’d have to look up all of the conditions for all of the formats. ‘Ebook’ is like ‘Kleenex’ in terms of usage. There are currently 6 ‘ebook’ readers on my PDA- each a different format that the others cannot read. .lit, .pdb (and the .pdb format still has controls so that .pdb files of one cannot be viewed by another), .doc, .tr, .??? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not just pushing this to be a jerk. This is a weird question. Your statement says quite specifically ‘copying’, but what if someone who has read the book just forwards the file in whole, not copying, and deletes it from their computer? They’ve read read it and now passed it on by selling it to me, same as dropping off your books at a used book store. I’m not sure about this one. seems to me a file I buy should be treated the same way as a book. I’ve read it. I’m not going to read it again. Gimme $1.50 and you can have it. You are quite possibly right in not allowing this ‘request’ here. BUT…I don’t think the SDMB would be liable, since it would be a transfer from someone else’s computer to mine. The SDMB’s servers would not be touched, not used. What say you? -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-ask-someone-to-send-me-ebooks-here/127304/5 "2002-09-06T18:34:09Z")
Tomcat - we don’t allow solicitation of illegal copies of anything at the SDMB. As a book writer himself, Cecil Adams doesn’t like copyright violations. Why don’t you pick one company, call them up, and find out what their policy is? I’m not that familiar with ebooks so I wouldn’t know where to begin looking. Maybe a more knowledgeable poster (or someone with more search time on his/her hands) can give us some pointers. ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-ask-someone-to-send-me-ebooks-here/127304/6 "2002-09-06T19:38:36Z")
How about I throw this out to the TM in General Questions? -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2002, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-ask-someone-to-send-me-ebooks-here/127304/7 "2002-09-07T07:06:09Z")
The question “is it legal to sell a used ebook?” should be OK in the General Questions forum. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2002, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-ask-someone-to-send-me-ebooks-here/127304/8 "2002-09-07T15:01:51Z")
[http://www.memoware.com](http://www.memoware.com) offers free e-books, but for handheld computers. there are a lot of great titles, so you might perhaps like to check it out.