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So instead of arguing about whether it is right or not to DRM-protect e-books, I would rather argue that prices for e-books are way too high and should be considerably lower for standard paper books. Not only are their cheaper to produce, but they are also worth less in montary value.
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I have to agree with this. While, intellectually, I understand most of the value of the book is in the writing, we also have to deal with the
perception of value with the consumer. If a consumer is going to pay almost the same price for an ebook as a printed book, most will want something they can hold in their hands and feel they own it.
The way to overcome this is to heavily discount ebooks. This was the strategy with the first mass market paperback books, which had a heavy price discount over the hardcover book price. The traditional publishing industry seemed to understand this with paperbacks but I don't think they really understand it with ebooks.
If the price came down a lot fewer people would bother to fileshare books.