The economy of words

News:

"Will Books Be Napsterized" by Randall Stross for The New York Times.

Now that e-books are rising in popularity, so are pirated online copies. The author notes that this didn't used to be a big deal because readers preferred hard copies, but with advancing technology, piracy is becoming an issue.
Hardcover sales in the US declined 13% in 2008. So far, this years' sales are down 15.5%.
Critics say it's hard to determine the magnitute of the problem but wonder if it will follow in music's footsteps.
File-hosting companies (ie: Rapidshare) allow anyone to upload or download content and don't filter uploaded files but will remove them if requested by the publisher.

http://www.nytmes.com/2009/10/04/business/04digi.html?hpw

"Second-hand retailers score during recession" by Ed Stoddard and Eim Gaynor for Reuters

While major chain stores are closing nationwide, the majority of second-hand stores are seeing an increase in sales in 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. One second-hand bookstore in Dallas has seen a rise in sales and plans to open even more new stores this year. The author sites the increase in demand and use of second-hand stores being due to a stressed economy and the culture of recycling.

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsnews/idSN0214223920091005