title_body: If a book doesn't have DRM does that mean it is OK to give a copy to my friend to read? I downloaded a book that does not have DRM (Digital rights management), I did not have to pay anything for it.  Does this mean it is OK to give a copy of the book to my friend?
  
  Note: This question is not a request for legal professional advice, and no answer to this question should be reguarded as legal advice. This question is a request for general advice about legal and ethical principles that cross jurisdictional boundaries.
upvoted_answer: NO!
  
  Every eBook is released under a licence.  Even if there is no licence specifically identified then it is covered under the general copyright law.  If you purchased the book and it was not released under a licence that permits redistribution then you should assume that giving away copies to friends is forbidden.
  
  Generally you can find the licence that the book was released under listed in the first few pages of the book, usually before any of the main content.  There are some licences that permit redistribution either for a fee or not.  Most licencing restricts distribution to those people who have a specific distribution licence and pay the appropriate royalties and fees to the publisher and author.
  
  There is some question about older books that are public domain.  The content of the book(the text) is the only thing that is public domain.  The Ebook has added markup and is covered under copyright laws as a new creation.  You can still use the public domain content as permitted, but the markup and any images included that are not public domain images are covered. 
  
  Also just because you are in a country that may not enforce copyright and licencing from the country of origin, does not mean that the copyright does not exist. In real world terms, think of it as an analogy to walking down a street and seeing a house that has no door lock. Is it OK to enter the house and take anything in it, just because there's no door lock preventing you from doing so? No.  And even if the police will not arrest you that does not mean that it is acceptable to do so.