Slashdot Mirror
Russian EBookseller LitRes Gets Competing EBook Apps Booted From Google Play
Nate the greatest writes "The developer of the popular Android app Moon+ Reader was surprised to discover this weekend that he is a filthy stinking pirate. Google informed him via an automated email that Moon+ Reader had been removed from Google Play because the app had switched to using pirate sites as the main sources of ebooks. Or at least, that's what LitRes claims, but when they complained to Google LitRes didn't tell the whole truth. What was really happening is that users of the app are enabling piracy, not the app itself. Thanks to the way Moon+ Reader is designed to let users share links to ebook sources some of the sources are indeed pirate sites (less than your average Google Search). In reality the app was no more a source of pirated content than your average web browser. What do you say when an ebook distributor's anti-piracy plan involves going after app developers rather than pirate sites? Something printable, IMO."
Google didn't remove a competing service, they removed a law breaking service. Kindle, Nook, SonyReader along side tens of publishers from all over the world still have their legal ebook selling apps available at Google Play. Regardless what is your opinion on the ethics of pirating, it's still a crime. Google having an app designed for buying pirated material would make it nothing a culprit in the crime. Removing such apps are decisions that any sane appstore businesses make.
People in such position have two options:
Option 3: not have the book.
Which God died and said that you have a moral right to take whatever you want if someone doesn't want to sell it to you?