National Education > General National Education Discussion

Illegal?

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TyranT:
Hello, I was wondering, if I buy a second hand textbook off someone, is that illegal.
Also what about the pdf of the second hand book? If i buy it, can i use the pdf as well.
And what i sell it?

Sorry if i sound paranoid. I just don't want to do anything illegal because it will come back to bite me in the arse one day.... I know it.

Bri MT:
Buying a second hand textbook is fine. The main thing you need to be aware of is that you can't reproduce the textbook (e.g. scan or copy pages) without written consent. Generally when you buy a second hand textbook the digital activation code has already been user by the previous owner and you need to buy a new one but depending the textbook it may be transferrable.

Erutepa:

--- Quote from: Bri MT on July 25, 2019, 06:06:22 pm ---Buying a second hand textbook is fine. The main thing you need to be aware of is that you can't reproduce the textbook (e.g. scan or copy pages) without written consent. Generally when you buy a second hand textbook the digital activation code has already been user by the previous owner and you need to buy a new one but depending the textbook it may be transferrable.

--- End quote ---
Some textbooks I've had have even had multiple activation codes for online editions for the very purpose of allowing second hand buyers to obtain an online copy.

codsta769:
Hi,

In terms of purchasing second hand textbooks that are hardcopy's, it is legal even if you didn't pay for it. This is because the original purchase was given to the author/ publisher. This is why library's are allowed to allow the public to borrow books for free.

However, in terms of the pdf versions that are second hand, you have to be careful on this. The laws surrounding this is similar to pirate movies. I would say it would depend on how the book is accessed. When people purchase ebooks, they are often added to an account with a password. For example, on apple books, the copy of the ebook is stored on your apple id and cannot be downloaded as a pdf. This is legal however, if the ebook is a pirated version on a pdf that can be shared, this act is illegal as in this case, someone would have illegally scanned, downloaded or printed the textbook.

blueycan:

--- Quote from: Erutepa on July 26, 2019, 08:16:57 am ---Some textbooks I've had have even had multiple activation codes for online editions for the very purpose of allowing second hand buyers to obtain an online copy.

--- End quote ---

To add onto this, some have codes you use to purchase online copies if you've already used up the free one.

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