Amazon Blog Subscriptions


Community Use


So Amazon has a service that will push a blog directly to some one's kindle. They charge between .99 and 1.99. Would signing up for this service count against the community use policy. The blog itself would still be free, accessible from any browser and no charge it would just be the choice to have it pushed directly to you kindle for convenience that incur the cost.


Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, PF Special Edition, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

This is obviously not an official response, and should not be construed as legal advice, rather it is simply the poster's interpretation of the policy and surrounding legal landscape.

CUP wrote:

This policy authorizes certain non-commercial use of the Paizo-related material specifically identified in the Permissions section of this policy ("Paizo Material").

When we say "non-commercial," we mean you cannot sell or otherwise charge anyone for access to content used under this Policy.

The above text is the entirety of the restriction relating to acceptable use from a monetary standpoint. The service is not charging for access to the content, but rather is charging for the convenience of having the freely-available content delivered automatically to your Kindle. As such, it is not charging for access, and therefore does not breach the policy. In addition, Amazon (not you) is the party collecting the payment and initiating the charges for the service. So long as Amazon does not perform any sort of modifications of the content (e.g. their service acts as a "dumb pipe"), among a couple of other restrictions that they likely meet, their handling of the content as they transfer it from your blog to individual Kindles is protected by Title 17 U.S.C. §§ 512(a) (the safe harbor provision of the DMCA related to transitory network communications) and therefore is noninfringing. Therefore Amazon does not run afoul of copyright law by transferring the content, even though they are charging for the service (note that Amazon is not bound by nor adhering to the CUP in their capacity here).


That's pretty much what I was thinking but I wouldn't want to step on toes unknowingly. Hope some one can give an official statement on the matter. Better safe than sorry. But again your interpretation was exactly how I read it.


Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, PF Special Edition, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

If you don't get anything here after a while and want an official word, try emailing licensing@paizo.com.

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

So long as people can get the content without paying that, and you're not the one profiting from it, that's fine. However, please do check any agreement you're required to make with Amazon to ensure that you're not giving Amazon any rights in the content, as the rights we give you in the CUP are personal to you and may not be assigned or transferred in any part to them.


Gotcha thanks

Community / Forums / Paizo / Community Use / Amazon Blog Subscriptions All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Community Use