Dustin Gandof
In recent news, it has been brought to attention that automatic updates have been made to e-book editions of works by Roald Dahl, R.L. Stine, and Agatha Christie. These updates serve as a reminder of who really owns your e-books.
Let’s begin with Roald Dahl, who was a British popular author of children’s literature, short stories, and a wartime fighter ace. It’s important to note that once you purchase an e-book of one of his works, you are simply licensing the content. This means that you don’t actually own the content, but rather you have the right to read it for personal use. The recent updates to Roald Dahl’s e-books showcase how the true owner of the content has the power to edit and update their works as they see fit, without the need for the reader’s consent.
Moving on to R.L. Stine, who is a known writer of spine-tingling horror and suspense books for children and young adults. Again, the same concept applies to e-books of his works. Even though you may have paid for the e-book, you do not physically own the content. It’s the creator of the content who has the authority to make any changes to their works as they choose.
Now let’s discuss Agatha Christie, a beloved English writer of detective novels, short stories, and plays. Several of her novels have been edited to remove potentially offensive language, serving as a stark reminder of who really owns the e-books. Much like with the previous authors mentioned, when you purchase an e-book of Agatha Christie’s works, you are simply licensing the content, therefore you don’t really own it.
In conclusion, while it may seem like you own the e-books once you’ve purchased them, this is not the case. The true owners of the content are the creators themselves. Therefore, they have the authority to make any changes or updates to their works as they see fit, without needing the reader’s consent. It’s important to remember that when purchasing e-books, you are just licensing the content, and what you have access to is subject to the creator’s control.
