What's the legality?

[Madspyman]

So here's the deal I have a graphic novel that I want a digital version of, but I don't want to scan in it myself (takes way to long), so if I torrent the same print version of this comic (scanned by another) that'd be legal right (as if I scanned it in myself)? As I have no plans to redistribute it.

This has probably been discussed before ad nauseam, but I think it's an interesting dilemma. What are your thoughts, would you download scanned versions of print content you already own for convenience purposes?

[bruno9779]

By downloading it via torrent you will be redistributing it as you download it.

Mos EU countries are way lax with torrents, can't say the same for the USA

[cariboo]

Strictly speaking, it is illegal in some countries even if you scan it yourself. Also by downloading a torrent, you are effectively redistributing it.

[coolbrook]

You could set your BitTorrent client to download without redistributing. It would likely take longer than if you were 'sharing'. I don't use P2P a whole lot but at least in recent years, in Canada, it was legal to download anything without redistributing it. Child porn being an exception.

[pwnst*r]

You're going to jail.

[TwoEars]

By downloading it via torrent you will be redistributing it as you download it.

Mos EU countries are way lax with torrents, can't say the same for the USA

Are you kidding me? Seriously? EU most EU countries have strict, strict anti-piracy laws. Simply using a torrent is grounds for disconnection in the UK, France, Germany and Sweden.

[Groucho Marxist]

So here's the deal I have a graphic novel that I want a digital version of, but I don't want to scan in it myself (takes way to long), so if I torrent the same print version of this comic (scanned by another) that'd be legal right (as if I scanned it in myself)? As I have no plans to redistribute it.

This has probably been discussed before ad nauseam, but I think it's an interesting dilemma. What are your thoughts, would you download scanned versions of print content you already own for convenience purposes?

Based upon US copyright and media laws, in terms of legality, the act would still be illegal. That is why on other media forms, such as CDs or DVDs, the publishers have expanded upon anti-piracy information to include "duplication without monetary gain." Yeah, I know; that sucks :(

Personally, I feel that if you already paid for it, a personally scanned copy would not harm the publisher; they think otherwise.

[DOS4dinner]

It's illegal. Any distribution of copyrighted content (In the US at least) is illegal unless it falls under fair use, which a complete comic does not. Since the distribution is illegal, the copy itself is illegal, regardless of ownership of the original comic.

The only reason you can have any other legal copy is thanks to the "archival copy" part of the law, which (if I remember correctly) states that you must make it yourself.

While this doc pertains to video game roms, it's a very long, but kinda interesting read in terms of download copyright legality: http://www.worldofspectrum.org/EmuFAQ2000/EmuFAQ_Y2KAddendum2.htm

[Madspyman]

I kinda figured all this, I hadn't considered the part about torrents redistributing while downloading. I used to work at the Office Depot copy center, we couldn't make copies of copyrighted material if asked, but if the customer paid to use the self service copy machines we really couldn't enforce it.