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Learning To Profit From Piracy
I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "Wired has an interview with Matt Mason, author of The Pirate's Dilemma: How Youth Culture Is Reinventing Capitalism, which discusses how businesses could make money off of piracy, rather than attacking people in a futile attempt to suppress it. And some of his ideas are gaining traction; work is underway on a TV show called Pirate TV, which he describes as 'two parts Anthony Bourdain, one part Mythbusters.' (Heroes executive producer Jesse Alexander is on board.) Also, Mason is pretty good about practicing what he preaches in that you can pirate his book on his own website."
If it's his own property, placing it online with the intent that you download it probably creates a license. Just because it's not in writing doesn't mean it's not enforceable. And regardless of that, putting it online with the intent that you download it precludes any claim that your downloading it is piracy.
Actually no, because that's exactly what happens in real piracy - someone puts a music track/movie/book/etc. online with the intent that other people download it. Those downloaders are the pirates, the same ones the *IAA get so worked up about. The difference here is that the person putting the book online is (presumably) the same one who owns the copyright, and it's perfectly within his rights to distribute it - that's why it's not piracy. (Unless, of course, he has signed over those rights to a publishing company or something)