http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080422-drm-sucks-redux-microsoft-to-nuke-msn-music-drm-keys.html

yes, it's music not books - nevertheless...


alessandro

Ars Technica has an article about the latest screwing that buyers of DRMed music are getting:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080422-drm-sucks-redux-microsoft-to-nuke-msn-music-drm-keys.html

The article begins: Customers who have purchased music from Microsoft's now-defunct MSN Music store are now facing a decision they never anticipated making: commit to which computers (and OS) they want to authorize forever, or give up access to the music they paid for. Why? Because Microsoft has decided that it's done supporting the service and will be turning off the MSN Music license servers by the end of this summer.

Another example of take the money and run -- and yet more justification for not buying DRMed e-books.

This is not exactly new news - it was announced - I dunno - a couple of years ago? - that the Zune music service would be replacing MSN. Nobody's exactly been "rushed" into a decision about it :).

I'm so glad I never was sucked into iTunes, MSN Music Store or any of the other DRMed MP3 shops.

How difficult or expensive would it be for MSN to maintain a database of purchasers with license numbers? You'd have a small but loyal fan base for doing this. Good will can go a long way to increasing a company's credibility. Especially Microsoft's.

Why do we have to have DRM that relies on our computer hardware & current OS to work such that if we were to upgrade any of it, we'd be well and truly screwed?

Why do we have to have DRM that relies on our computer hardware & current OS to work such that if we were to upgrade any of it, we'd be well and truly screwed?

Like , as happens now , with your purchased copy of XP - for instance - though I believe a 'phone call could sort that out .....

Like , as happens now , with your purchased copy of XP - for instance - though I believe a 'phone call could sort that out .....
Let's say you purchase another computer. You install Mobipocket Reader on it. You have eBooks in Mobipocket format that were purchased from PaperbackDigital (now out of business so you cannot redownload with a new PID). They have DRM. How can you setup Mobipocket Reader on the new computer so it has the same PID as the previous computer? Without the same PID, you cannot read any of them on that computer.

The average person won't know about breaking DRM. They'll just know that their previously purchased content no longer works. That is a major strike against eBooks for sure.

Let's say you purchase another computer. You install Mobipocket Reader on it. You have eBooks in Mobipocket format that were purchased from PaperbackDigital (now out of business so you cannot redownload with a new PID). They have DRM. How can you setup Mobipocket Reader on the new computer so it has the same PID as the previous computer? Without the same PID, you cannot read any of them on that computer.

The average person won't know about breaking DRM. They'll just know that their previously purchased content no longer works. That is a major strike against eBooks for sure.

Yes - I know - that's my only worry with e-reading on the Cybook .

When my current reader goes west in 10 years time ( ! ) I'll have a library that I can't access ' cause I doubt Fictionwise etc will keep my downloads for that length of time in case I need to re-adjust for a change of PID .

Yes - I know - that's my only worry with e-reading on the Cybook .

When my current reader goes west in 10 years time ( ! ) I'll have a library that I can't access ' cause I doubt Fictionwise etc will keep my downloads for that length of time in case I need to re-adjust for a change of PID .

They don't keep you downloads per se, they just reallow the download anytime you need it. There is no reason to believe Fictionwise will lose the list of books you own.

Dale

I'm with Dale on this one. Of all the ebook companies that I have delt with, Fictionwise seems the most serious and business like of the group. I expect that they will be around for a good while.

I'm with Dale on this one. Of all the ebook companies that I have delt with, Fictionwise seems the most serious and business like of the group. I expect that they will be around for a good while.

I've no doubt they - will - next question will DRM still be around in the long term ?
or son of ?

I've no doubt they - will - next question will DRM still be around in the long term ?

No, though we may well have some form of social DRM. I think that the trend in music sales will hold for ebooks as well.

No, though we may well have some form of social DRM. I think that the trend in music sales will hold for ebooks as well.

I suspect that DRM will still be around for as long as you own the books it was purchased with. As to new purchases that may be a different question.

Dale

I think BooksOnBoard is also a good place to do business with.

I think BooksOnBoard is also a good place to do business with.

I agree.

I agree.

Yeah... BooksOnBoard is def. the best. AND they're coming out with non-DRM titles (https://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?F=FreeandGreen_ebooks_P2), which is exciting.

Yeah... BooksOnBoard is def. the best. AND they're coming out with non-DRM titles (https://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?F=FreeandGreen_ebooks_P2), which is exciting.
I have to disagree. PDF is not exciting. Sorry.

I have to disagree. PDF is not exciting. Sorry.

It's the principle of it. And it makes me expect better things in the future.

I think it's exciting, too. I'm always happy to see companies moving to DRM-free even if it's not a format I'm keen on. And welcome to Mobile Read! I see you're a new member. I don't want you to feel discouraged from posting.

Thanks, Alisa! :)

I think it's exciting, too. I'm always happy to see companies moving to DRM-free even if it's not a format I'm keen on. And welcome to Mobile Read! I see you're a new member. I don't want you to feel discouraged from posting.
well said. and i agree, about the move to DRM-free being exciting, even if it meanders through some less interesting topography on its way.

don't mind JS ; you know those wolves are such savages.

Yeah... BooksOnBoard is def. the best. AND they're coming out with non-DRM titles (https://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?F=FreeandGreen_ebooks_P2), which is exciting.

Well, you can spot the Jane Austens straight off. :D

(the ones with the silhouette, for the non-Janeites in the house)

Well, you can spot the Jane Austens straight off. :D

(the ones with the silhouette, for the non-Janeites in the house)
they do stand out quite a bit... :rolleyes:

for anyone interested, we have some very fine editions of Austen here on MR, illustrated, thanks to Harry. available in several formats, not including pdf.

When my current reader goes west in 10 years time ( ! ) I'll have a library that I can't access ' cause I doubt Fictionwise etc will keep my downloads for that length of time in case I need to re-adjust for a change of PID . FictionWise has a good history of preserving downloads, but they depend on the DRM provider to update the authorized PID's.

The loss of a DRM provider has actually happened for eReader books bought before June 1, 2004. FictionWise still allows you to download new copies of these ebooks, but the PID (in this case a credit card number) can't be changed. See What does the Archived mark mean on some of my eReader eBooks? (http://fictionwise.com/help/eReader-Overview.htm#archive). FictionWise is actually doing more than some other companies would in archiving these old ebooks for you. For example, Amazon deleted all the Secure Adobe ebooks it sold a year after it stopped selling them. Since the eReader DRM is not device specific, the loss of a DRM provider was not catastrophic. This could easily happen to MOBI or LIT or Secure Adobe ebooks too. Based on past behavior, Amazon would likely delete all Kindle ebooks from its servers if it stopped selling Kindles.

Where in the .prc file does the PID / DRM info get saved ?

( Purely for idle interest ! )