bclarkie wrote:If copying works isn't such a big deal when it comes to value, then why do all these countries have those seemingly pesky Copyright laws in place???

Because copyright laws are not supposed (whether they are or not is another story) to be about the "value" of the work, and more about ensuring that the creators/owners of the work get their share of whatever is being charged for it.

Badmike wrote:
I sell for a living and have yet to see a pdf significanctly effect a TRUE collectible in the aftermarket sales...

Intreresting, considering we have absolutely no idea what things would be selling for nowadays if not for the pdf downloads.  I don't think I'd be going too far out on a limb by saying that they'd likely be selling for more than they do now.   People seem to lose sight of the fact that because things are selling for more now than they did 5-10-15 years ago that there is no effect on the market.  Unfortuantely, its not that simple.  

Sadly, we have no idea how much even common items may have had their prices retarded bacause of the legal and illegal pdfs floating around out there.

bombadil wrote:By the way, speaking of lovely old dice from OCEs and earlier, John Huckerby, if you're reading this, I haven't forgotten.  Your dice are on the way!  

Surprised that I spotted this.  Not dropping by much these days.

Thanks very much.  Looking forward to seeing them.

J.

johnhuck wrote:Surprised that I spotted this.  Not dropping by much these days.

Thanks very much.  Looking forward to seeing them.

J.

Figured I'd just split the lot in half, just haven't gotten around to it yet.  

*must get another OCE*

I hope the price goes down a little, but I've been able to find them for $50 - 90, so.... I guess they're not that valuable to begin with. Now, if only the woodgrain would drop by half.

i dont think it will affect price - most ppl would still want the real deal anyway

but then what do i know

Al

The Blackmoor supplement has been available for free for a long time too.

http://jovianclouds.com/blackmoor/bmc.html

After reading Dave's main page though, it seems like he has the same editor as Coug.

Badmike wrote:Copyright laws are there to protect the wealthy, and make the rich richer.  The logic behind them makes no sense....half the time copyright LAWYERS (those whose job is to study the law) can't even agree on what they mean.  They are the biggest boondoggle since the income tax.

OH Contraire my friend.

Those Copyright Laws which you so despise, protect my entire profession (And many others as well) from unscrupulous persons using our work without paying for it. They also protect the public from those same folks.

In my profession, Title Company's and Real Estate professionals had a nasty habit of using and reusing the professional product of land surveyors anytime they wanted to. They would retain copies of old land surveys in their files and reuse them at will. They used them for sales of the same properties over the course of many years and even decades.

What matters this you ask? The general public, (Buyer) is most likely unaware of any changes to that property since that old survey was done 30 years ago. The title company does not care, so long as that buyer signs the waiver forms (Which protect ONLY the title company, not the buyer, or seller).

The title companies were telling the buyers that no new survey was needed, they had the old one. "Here, just sign this waiver and we will save you hundreds of dollars in survey fees."  Of course they fail to mention (Or didnt know) that the current owner had built a new barn out back and that it protrudes onto the neighbor's yard by 8 feet.  (NO survey was done for that either, they cost too much)

Oh well, the buyer can deal with that later on……… he won't be able to sue the title company though, since he signed that waiver….  Now the buyer can pay his attorney thousands and possibly pay a demolitions company to demolish that barn. Then pay his neighbor for the lost use of the land. But HEY! The title company saved him money at the closing table!

Those waivers are still legal in Texas, however, re-using an old survey is NOT. Copyright Laws protect not only the author, but the public as well in some cases.

   Copyright Laws: Two Thumbs WAY WAY UP  

For a collector like myself, I'm glad to have the PDF's available at a reasonable price.  I think it's because I'm interested in the history of the game just as much as owning a piece of it.

I own many 1E books, modules, and so forth, and I love both reading through them and having something that is a piece of AD&D history.  I may never be able to afford an actual OCE, but as a second choice, I would love to have the material to read through, see how the game developed, and so on.  Just like reprints in other collecting arenas, such things have no ‘collector' value, but they have tremendous worth for those of us who would just like to see something we would not be able to otherwise.