Exhibit A for "If buying isn't owning, then piracy isn't stealing."

I had that exact problem with Netflix, now I have Jellyfin

How TF does this happen to a book sitting in your hands? I have never had this happen to any of my books, hardcover or paperback.

That's strange. It's available on any US storefront that I pull up.

You're welcome.

Shadow Library Uptime Monitor (SLUM)

Tracking public availability status for shadow library services

https://open-slum.org/

When libgen went down and I wanted to keep reading the uncle festers guides, I came across this one.

Piracy is a service problem.

I'm not advocating for piracy, but they're doing it to themselves.

Did you find it yet? It's listed here

https://annas-archive.gl/

Why we have to sail the high seas.

Wait. @[email protected] the c/shitpost grandpa?

found it !: https://reader.z-library.sk/read/8c014531f9d168876c1533bd02f061d6c727b3ad5f31e8294017364a1162d60e/book/JR6ggn9njN/mickey7.html/mickey7.html?client_key=1fFLi67gBrNRP1j1iPy1&extension=mobi&signature=5b5ea3fadf2db50397a57c905dfdf7147de77a52bc3f737424ca0418a29107ad&file_access_token=eyJleHAiOjE3OTAwNDU1MTcsInZlciI6IjEuMCIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCIsImFsZyI6IkhTMjU2In0.eyJzdWIiOiJmaWxlX2FjY2VzcyIsImZpbGVfc2hhMjU2IjoiOGMwMTQ1MzFmOWQxNjg4NzZjMTUzM2JkMDJmMDYxZDZjNzI3YjNhZDVmMzFlODI5NDAxNzM2NGExMTYyZDYwZSIsImFjY2Vzc19sZXZlbCI6ImxpbWl0ZWQiLCJpc19wdWJsaWMiOnRydWV9.QaCiZmNc_3hwhEKMStcEY8WRevCidGGEJojFby0nDgQ

Super easy way to solve that problem:

There’s always Anna’s Archive or Z Library. Those copies won’t ever go away

This is the central problem with digital ownership. It isn't real. You don't own anything.

If you have a file which contains the book and has no Digital Restrictions Management on it then you own the book in the same way as if you have the physical book.

If you borrow a book from the library you could make a copy by scanning all the pages and then give the original back. Alternatively you could refuse to return it and pay the replacement cost. In either case you actually had the book with full access.

If you "borrow" the book in apps like this you are not getting the whole thing unencumbered, you are getting something more similar to a webcam view of a page turning robot. Yes you can read the text, but you can't make any changes, mark a spot, read it offline, take a photocopy, and so on. Many of these apps block screenshots, and many also block copy and paste.

It is crazy to me that in order to have reasonable access to a book you have no legal option in many cases. I recently bought Azalea Ellis' books and they are all in a plain eBook format or in a plain audio book format. No DRM, no limits. That means I can use the audio book as I want, which in my case means adding it to my AudioBookShelf server. I can cache it to my phone one book at a time or even the whole series in one go. I can play it at whatever speed I like, 2x is my normal, and nobody can stop me. I can listen to it as many times as I like.

If nobody will sell me the book without DRM I don't consider it buying. They are leasing the book, renting access to it, but I never fool myself into thinking I own it. I don't actually own anything on a PS5, nor on Steam. While Steam has not turned evil yet it is always a possibility, so I treat those licences as access rentals and assume they are temporary.

From a moral perspective if you van have it taken away you don't own it, and if you buying isn't owning then piracy isn't theft. Any claims that someone stole from a publisher when the publisher was claiming they were selling the game are bunk. If they actually sold the game, as GOG does, then it would be theft. But if they only sell a licence for access then it isn't selling the game, and it is therefore not theft.

Okay, now if you could explain it to my "But no, they're on my Google account" sister, and preferably before she loses interest and starts talking about something else...

I’m not necessarily against the gradual removal of physical media, and that’s not because I’m defending Sony or anything like that. We’ve been downloading games digitally for decades, and physical media has increasingly gone the way of the DVD. That transition itself doesn’t really bother me.

That said, I absolutely agree that what they’re doing here is bullshit, and physical media is objectively more consumer-friendly in a lot of ways. I’m just saying I understand the argument from a different perspective.

Because when it comes to books, I’m exactly the opposite.

I want an actual physical book. Paper pages, a cover, the whole thing. I’ve tried reading digitally, and I just can’t get into it. Something about reading a book on a screen feels completely wrong to me.

So I guess I understand the attachment to physical media more than I initially thought. I just happen to draw the line in a very different place.

Yeah I'm gonna guess it's based on whatever service you are using losing distribution rights to it, because the book is available in the US pretty much everywhere.

That sucks that whatever service you got lost the license, but I appreciate you giving me a new book to read!

Makes you wonder what they didn't want you to see. Guess you'll never know now. They probably already removed the juicy bits.

We need to talk about the 10 missing Mickeys.

Is there any chance it's showing as unavailable because they've renamed it to Mickey 17? I'm sure you've checked that, but just in case...

i've had that happen a few times over the years streaming tv or movies. have it stop part-way and not be available to continue.