Begin forwarded message:
From: Joshua Tinnin <krinklyfig@gmail.com>
Date: July 18, 2009 2:42:54 PM EDT
To: dave@farber.net
Cc: dpreed@reed.com
Subject: Re: [IP] Reversible transactions: a great new idea
For an example which is directly related, this is exactly what has to happen if you're involved in the sort of mess Bernard Madoff created. Because all of the transactions with Madoff and his clients are fraudulent and based on non-existent trades, all of those transactions have to be reversed and unwound, if need be. Of course, the reality is that won't happen in many cases, but that is what the government's lawyers are trying to do, and it will take a long time to untangle all of it.
In the sense that a publisher distributing works for which they do not have rights is a fraudulent transaction in a way, I can sort of see the logic of pulling them back. However, in the interest of customer service and not causing additional problems with negative PR, and for legal liability reasons, their approach might not be the most advantageous, and unlike the money involved in the Madoff case, the existence of those copies isn't really doing anyone harm. Amazon could just pay the owner a royalty fee and a penalty instead of recalling all the copies. However, counterfeit and bootleg physical merchandise can be seized with a court order, correct? But I agree with Lauren that this is overreaching, in the absence of a court order.
- jt
On Sat, Jul 18, 2009 at 9:25 AM, David Farber <dave@farber.net> wrote:
Begin forwarded message:
From: "David P. Reed" <dpreed@reed.com>
Date: July 18, 2009 11:13:24 AM EDT
To: dave@farber.net
Cc: ip <ip@v2.listbox.com>
Subject: Reversible transactions: a great new idea
This thing with the Kindle deleting books (and apparently the notes and annotations a kid did on his(?) copy as part of his summer reading assignment), might turn out to be a great idea in the long run.
For example, I remember selling some stock holdings I had, only to watch the price soar a couple of weeks later. I could rewrite my terms of service with my stockbroker, allowing myself to retrieve the stock, and pay back the cost.
In fact the concept would completely solve the recent financial crisis. Just unwind all the transactions, force the bankers to return all their bonuses, etc.
Kindle ROCKS!
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