KB58 wrote:
As long as the author is compensated appropriately...
Not to mention the publisher. There are a number of entities involved in growing an idea into a printed book that somebody else can scan a page at a time and put on the internet, and as long as it's in print, all of them have a vested interest in not getting ripped off for their time and effort, which is why we have copyright laws and publishing contracts*.
But when a book is out of print, things get a bit fuzzier. Same with cars that have gone out of production. Ford hasn't sold a Model T part for generations, yet there's a thriving industry making replacement parts that Ford won't.
* Something I wish I'd done when I was getting published was insist that rights revert to the author if the book goes out of print.