Quote:
Originally Posted by NatCh
The DRM thing is a sword that cuts every direction. The only viable option I see is to buy content only in formats I can convert (nice for me that I like the stuff Baen publishes, but there are ... other options too). Presently, I'm only buying formats I can't convert if I'm pretty sure I won't want to re-read the book later.
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I agree wholeheartedly. The real problem here is DRM, without which there would be little need for these proprietary formats. We consumers need to get our act together and refuse to buy DRMed books. Yvan also has a point about the prices.
Maybe a bit of organized disobedience could turn the tables. If more people started reading pirated ebooks, that could force publishers to abandon DRM and lower their prices. If organized properly, such action could be considered morally acceptable. For example, if we were to take a limited number of pirated ebooks from each publisher who uses DRM, and offer them online with the express purpose of exerting pressure on the industry... we could even sell the pirated ebooks and send the money to the publisher, just to prove that we're serious.
These dinosaurs won't move unless we push them. Just look at the music industry. They were forced to clean up their act because of online mp3 sharing, and new paradigms now seem to be working, like iTunes (low price) and Amazon's (DRM-free) service.