Printing books without the copyrigh...

Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta

Printing books without the copyright holder's permission

Question

no. 1650 for the year 2005 which includes the following:
I own a printing house. One of my clients in an African country asked me to print huge numbers of a copyrighted book published by another publishing house in an Arab country. This deal will generate huge profits for me and most of my partners consent to it. Is it permissible to print this book?
 

Answer

It is not permissible for the inquirer or any other person to commercially reproduce the book if it is copyrighted. This is because reproducing the book without the copyright holder's permission, whether it is the author or publisher, is considered infringing upon another's right and a theft. Consequently, any profits generated from reproducing the book without the owner's permission are ill-gotten gains and therefore unlawful.
The answer to the question is known from above.
 

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