[gabrieldj]

Honestly, the best thing for ebook consumers and, in the long run, publishers and authors, would be if ebook piracy were rampant! In the music industry, the labels were forced to come up with reasonable policies for digital music, because if they didn't, consumers would turn to Napster and Limewire instead.

Unfortunately, not many people read substantially anymore. Of those that do, not that many are interested in ebooks yet. And of those people, not that many are likely to be savvy enough to navigate the darknet for books after finding that the publishers don't want their ebook business. They'll just grow frustrated with their Kindles, Nooks, Sony Readers, etc. and pay for a hardcover on the release date, rather than waiting weeks (or more) and paying nearly the same price for the ebook.