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This might be the wrong forum to place this question, but as I specifically have 3PP products in mind for this (since anything published by Paizo shows up on a SRD somewhere), this seemed the appropriate place.
What are the rules/guidelines/laws when it comes to sharing PDFs with my players on Google Drive or similar cloud-storage sites? I specifically bring up Google Drive because I know that you can disable file downloads and printing with documents uploaded there... but it isn't out of the question that someone can just 'screenshot' their browser if they really wanted to.
For example, I'm running two Pathfinder campaigns. One is a Roll20 game with six players I know personally, the other is a PbP on these boards with four players I haven't met and don't know well.
- I use TPK Games' Laying Waste for both games (so far, I've explained how the rules work as they come up)
- I would like to introduce Everyman Games' Ultimate Charisma into both games (there's a lot of content here - explaining each aspect of the system would be arduous).
- In the PbP game, it takes place in Kobold Press's Northlands region, and it would be nice to share the campaign guide with my players. (Unlike the other two, this setting book has 89/110 pages marked as product Identity)
I believe the general consensus is that as long as you can maintain control of who can access the files, then you are not only allowed, but encouraged to share your material with your players.
The important part, though, is maintaining control. You are responsible for those files, and if one of your players copies/downloads them, and then makes them freely available for others, you are the person at fault.
Likewise, if the file sharing medium you're using gets hacked and your files get stolen, and then made freely available online, it's your responsibility.
In general, if you can trust your players and are using a reputable and secure file sharing site, you should be good to go.
That was my impression, but I came to realize I had never seen the question answered directly, so that's what I'm hoping to find here.
Part what I guess catches me is - at what point does the expect used pass the reasonable threshold. I mean, I'm sharing this material with 10 other people in the example above - and no, they can't download it or redistribute it, but they have free access to it for as long as it is relevant to the game with me. If I uploaded it on a filesharing site with intent to distribute and 10 people downloaded it, I'd lose my account - fair enough.
And if I were to take on more players in my games, and run more games, the credibility of that number stretches. If I run four games with 6 players each, and want to use these 4 X-option PDFs in each game, I could see many people saying, "That's not okay, you can't share this with 24 other people, even if it is for your games. That's 96 instances of a person accessing a PDF that they don't own. Someone has to buy their own copies." At what threshold could someone claim that I'm distributing it freely, even though I AM using them for their intended purpose, considered fair on a smaller scale.
Thanks for weighing in though. It does sound about right, I'm just (probably vainly) hoping for an answer that's a little more concrete.
I think the key distinction is that showing someone a book you've bought is not distributing it (ie giving them a copy).
If you bought a print copy, you could let ten, twenty or however many people use it. You couldn't photocopy it and give them each a copy though.
Sure, that makes sense. I appreciate the input. I've pretty much agreed inside my head with both of those viewpoints the whole time, but I started thinking that maybe a 'lenient' stance like that was wishful thinking. If anyone has anything to add, they're welcome to, but I'm satisfied with that answer. :-)