|
Not that there any valid "excuses" to use the "darknet", but ...
With music, the only reason I bought all my music on cd's as opposed to downloading them (legal or otherwise) was a matter of quality and at times the draconian DRM in place. I avoided DRM'd CD's after having quite a few problems with them, and when drm'd cd's "peaked" that soon became a problem. Especially as I work with audio for a living and whenever I used some music, they got paid. It soon annoyed me so much that I didn't even try. As soon as I saw something was drm'd I wouldn't even use their non-drm'd tracks.
Metallica is never used in any of my productions for the same reason, no matter how fitting it might be.
What's that got to do with ebooks, you ask?
Well, besides the calibre manual, my first ebook bought after I got my new toy was from Barnes & Noble. I couldn't believe the hoops I had to go through to make me able to read it on my PRS-900. In the process I discovered that in the US it's illegal to circumvent drm, no matter if it isn't "fit for purpose" or something else is wrong (draconian? Yes, I think so. Luckily such laws aren't present in the EU (I'm in Denmark).
Then I figured I'd try the Sony Store since I had good luck with cheating the Barnes & Noble store with my hotel address but still use my danish visa-card (go figure ...).
Turns out I had no problems purchasing and downloading a book directly from the reader - I was in NY at the time - but the moment I tried pfaffing about with the Sony Reader software on the computer, the book first became unreadable, then the reader software decided to not allowing me to even open the sony software as it couldn't figure out that two emails (the one in ADE and the one I entered in Sony's software) was the exact same and the same I have used on all things ebook-related.
This sort of hoops just to be able to read something I purchased have made me reconsider this whole thing. I mean, I'm all for giving my money to publishers, authors, artists, whatever, but i don't want to be treated like a potential criminal in the process.
It seems that the "ebook business" is trailing a decade or two behind the music business.
With this in mind, I know I'll be using "the darknet" from time to time - actually it was that very decision which led me to this thread. It'll be a conscious decision on a book-to-book basis, though.
P.S. I think DRM on library books are a whole different matter. That is a true loan. Not a purchase.
|