Ok, If i was to lend a CD to my friend, i would be breaking copyright laws.
If i was to copy that CD and give it to my friend i would be breaking copyright laws.
So is it illegal to lend a book to a friend to read? its still a copyrighted material. (Books are copyrighted arent they?)
Is this just something that is ignored?
Also what is the legality (say if i chose to) copy an entire book for a friend?
I’m not aware of any precedent disallowing the lending of CDs, as long as no copies are made. The same applies to books; this is the principal upon which libraries operate.
The basic principle underlying copyright laws is to protect the copyright owner (author, publisher) from losing money on unauthorised copies. Obviously this situation doesn’t arise if you lend your *own * copy of a book to a friend, as **friedo ** points out.
Yes, it’s illegal for libraries to lend books, and Writers Against Piracy have been fighting to end this pratice for years.
Of course it is not illegal, and it is not against copyright law to lend CDs to your friends either.
From that website:
Can they read, though?
This is incorrect.
Copyright is the right to copy. No copy is made when a library loans a book to a patron. No copy - no copyright violation.
I looked at the Writers Against Piracy web site. The quote that “enforcement of the law is laughable” refers to the practice of photocopying copyrighted materials in libraries. While it’s true that no one watches over these copiers to make sure the law is being followed, the WAP site says that these copiers give patrons the ability to “make replicas of books.” This claim is itself laughable - for most books, it would be much cheaper (and far less work) just to buy an original than to make a copy.
Well, they oughta know. After all, they’re the folks who hosted Anton Chekov for an inspiring public reading last year… 
Oh, P.S.
If you haven’t caught on, “Writers against Piracy” is a joke/satire site.
It is not illegal to lend (or even sell) a CD or book you have bought. The object is yours to do as you please with.
There is only an issue if you make a *duplicate * of a book or CD. Since a copy is being made, it falls under copyright law. The act of making the copy is what is regulated by the law, so if you copied the book to give a friend, it is grounds for a suit and you could theoretically be required to pay damages.
Well libraries and educational institutions in Australia indirectly compensate Australian authors under the Public Lending Right and Educational Lending Right schemes.
College textbooks, on the other hand… 
Maybe Fake Plastic Trees is an agent
Ah i only wish i was an agent,
Improveverywhere is a great site.
Didnt realize the stupidity of my question untill after i posted it. thanks for all the replies though.
-Fake Plastic Trees
Further, there’s a certain leeway for copying small portions of a book for non-commercial use. No, someone shouldn’t be able to just photocopy the whole thing, but (a) it’s too expensive (as you mention), and (b) given the choice between allowinging an improper use and disallowing a proper one, the error is made to allow the proper one.
Another point against WAP: their assertion that libraries are analogous to music piracy over “file-sharing” networks like Napster (old form). Actually, “file-sharing” is somewhat of a misnomer, since when you share something physical like a book or a CD, you don’t have it while you’ve lent it out. “File-sharing” networks are actually file-copying networks.
And, actually, this leads into the ultimate rebuttal against their ludicrous crusade: When I purchase a physical book I also purchase the right to resell that physical book. I can sell someone my copy when I don’t want it anymore, rather than throw it away. What libraries are doing is basically selling a book and buying it back after a certain period of time. In fact, if you don’t return the book, the library will gladly buy another copy (with royalties going to the author) and charge you the replacement cost.
I’m not sure why you say indirectly.
My SO who has 5 childrens books published receives a cheque directly from them each year (or maybe every 6 months, I can’t recall).
That would be a direct compensation.
Librarian here. It’s actually legal to make a copy of a CD and circulate the copy as long as the original sits locked up in the library basement. The idea is if the CD is scratched (as idiot patrons are bound to do), the library doesn’t need to buy a new copy, just burn off another from the original.
One of my professors in college had published a textbook. After learning this, I made a comment that he must be rich from the royalties, since textbooks cost a fortune. He said that it was the publishers who were raking in the cash, and the authors of textbooks really don’t make much money from it.
Libraries are allowed to loan books that they own under the First Sale Doctrine
http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/96-1470.ZO.html#FN9
Re: permisssions of library materials…
Some of the videos available for borrowing at the Toronto library have specific permissions attached for public performance… unline the normal run-of-the-mill videos you get at Blockbuster.