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It's funny, but I first bought an eBook (.lit) about 13 years ago, around the time Diablo2 was released, 3 years later the store I got it from closed up their servers and I could no longer authorise that book and read it, it's now a bunch of useless bits. It impacted my decisions when it came to digital media.
Geographic restrictions are extremely annoying, from a personal perspective - I did not buy any DVD's until after deCSS was written, released and I'd then confirmed I could personally rip/re-encode a DVD.
When I was in university I would get content from fellow students, several "plays for sure" schemes came out - but I had both a Mac and PC so I could not participate and have my music everywhere, iTunes came out eventually, and I did not buy until I could ensure that use the tool to strip the "fair"play DRM scheme from them. Today iTunes music is DRM free, and I buy my music without worrying that I won't be able to play it on my next PC, my next portable audio device or anything happening to the iTunes store as I don't need to connect to it again unless I want to buy more music. (I don't buy Movies/TV Shows because they're DRM encumbered, but I do buy iPhone apps - because they're not portable and I don't expect them to be their utility is in the use of them on an iPhone, not the content).
Today I'm looking at purchasing an eBook reader and it seems big corporations still have not learned - they restrict me from purchasing from where I live, they lock down my copies and I have to get permission to read. The second is resolvable, the first is damn right annoying. Yes I will turn to the dark net after making several attempts to purchase legitimately. If you won't sell me what I want and you'll sell it to someone else because they live in a different geographic location to me, well that's irritating (I wonder if you could pull racist from it...) I'll get it from the dude who's prepared to give it to anyone for no cost. (I will also seek alternative resources like baen, but if there is no way for me to get the must read title XYZ other than darknet...)
It's not about cost, it's about access. I don't want a pbook, I want an eBook, I want to be able to read that book on any device I have today or possibly in the future and I want to buy it from my home.
The publishers need to stop being so controlling so that I can give them my money. We'd both be happier for it.
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