MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Defective by Design is targeting the Kindle

JohnClif · 01-04-2008, 05:34 AM

A few comments...

First, although I agree that DRM is a pain in the ###, it really doesn't affect me or any other Kindle/Sony/Cybook/etc. ereader until I switch devices. I've bought a considerable amount of ebooks for my Kindle from Amazon, and I love the ability to be in the airport, and instead of plunking down $8 for a paperback or $25 for a hardcover, I can download a $6.99 3-book Michael Connelly collection... and have a couple of days of reading material. I like the fact that I can buy a $25 book for $9.99. And, I like the fact that I can buy last year's NYT Bestsellers for $6 to $9 bucks (just like the old-school versions in the book bins!). I can do all of this without having to be at a bookstore, whether it's late at night at my home, while traveling, while at a lunch break in an unfamiliar city, etc. The power to get new reading material, anytime, anywhere (in the US), without requiring a laptop is what differentiates the Kindle from all other ereaders.

Second, the Kindle can easily read non-DRM popular formats, like .TXT and .MOBI. These can be downloaded directly from websites on the Kindle itself without a computer. Amusingly, Amazon puts up a blurb in the browser warning the user that the downloaded files might not be usable (I guess to protect themselves from people who download a DRM .MOBI file), but if you know what you're doing, you just ignore the alert and you have your ebook.

Third, you can use your computer to bring a huge variety of reading material to the Kindle. For instance, I use MobileReader's RSS feed capability to bring down a virtual newspaper to my device every morning, with the news and information I want from the websites I like to read. I use MobileReader to create ebooks from a variety of public-domain sources and read those ebooks on my Kindle. Lately I've been on a Zane Grey binge.

Fourth, for the new ebook owner, there are no disadvantages to owning a Kindle, and a lot of advantages. Nearly every ebook available on the MobiPocket website is available in the Kindle store. New owners don't have to worry about migrating existing collections of ebooks. Eventually, someone (like Igor) will figure out how to migrate existing DRM .MOBI files over to .AZW.

Fifth, Amazon's unique control over DRM .AZW files does support a model for 'trading in' used ebooks (surrendering your rights for credit). I can see a huge ecosystem evolving for this. You can't do it with .MOBI files because there is no single, centralized database for tracking ownership of DRM .MOBI files, yet there is with .AZW.

In short, all of the whining about DRM ignores one crucial factor that will make or break digital publishing of ebooks: without DRM there is no incentive for the publishing industry to migrate to ebooks. We have DRM for music because millions of people were illegally transferring unprotected music (from CDs) via Napster, etc.

Instead of wanting to completely eliminate DRM, what we should want is the ability to have the same rights we have with a physical book... the right to give or sell the book, or read a single copy on any device, while protecting the publisher's right to receiving compensation for each copy that a different user can simultaneously use. I think Amazon's model is the only model that can support these features.

01-04-2008, 05:34 AM	#75
JohnClif Enthusiast Posts: 37 Karma: 484 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: Amazon Kindle, PC/Mobipocket Reader, Palm T3	A few comments... First, although I agree that DRM is a pain in the ###, it really doesn't affect me or any other Kindle/Sony/Cybook/etc. ereader until I switch devices. I've bought a considerable amount of ebooks for my Kindle from Amazon, and I love the ability to be in the airport, and instead of plunking down $8 for a paperback or $25 for a hardcover, I can download a $6.99 3-book Michael Connelly collection... and have a couple of days of reading material. I like the fact that I can buy a $25 book for $9.99. And, I like the fact that I can buy last year's NYT Bestsellers for $6 to $9 bucks (just like the old-school versions in the book bins!). I can do all of this without having to be at a bookstore, whether it's late at night at my home, while traveling, while at a lunch break in an unfamiliar city, etc. The power to get new reading material, anytime, anywhere (in the US), without requiring a laptop is what differentiates the Kindle from all other ereaders. Second, the Kindle can easily read non-DRM popular formats, like .TXT and .MOBI. These can be downloaded directly from websites on the Kindle itself without a computer. Amusingly, Amazon puts up a blurb in the browser warning the user that the downloaded files might not be usable (I guess to protect themselves from people who download a DRM .MOBI file), but if you know what you're doing, you just ignore the alert and you have your ebook. Third, you can use your computer to bring a huge variety of reading material to the Kindle. For instance, I use MobileReader's RSS feed capability to bring down a virtual newspaper to my device every morning, with the news and information I want from the websites I like to read. I use MobileReader to create ebooks from a variety of public-domain sources and read those ebooks on my Kindle. Lately I've been on a Zane Grey binge. Fourth, for the new ebook owner, there are no disadvantages to owning a Kindle, and a lot of advantages. Nearly every ebook available on the MobiPocket website is available in the Kindle store. New owners don't have to worry about migrating existing collections of ebooks. Eventually, someone (like Igor) will figure out how to migrate existing DRM .MOBI files over to .AZW. Fifth, Amazon's unique control over DRM .AZW files does support a model for 'trading in' used ebooks (surrendering your rights for credit). I can see a huge ecosystem evolving for this. You can't do it with .MOBI files because there is no single, centralized database for tracking ownership of DRM .MOBI files, yet there is with .AZW. In short, all of the whining about DRM ignores one crucial factor that will make or break digital publishing of ebooks: without DRM there is no incentive for the publishing industry to migrate to ebooks. We have DRM for music because millions of people were illegally transferring unprotected music (from CDs) via Napster, etc. Instead of wanting to completely eliminate DRM, what we should want is the ability to have the same rights we have with a physical book... the right to give or sell the book, or read a single copy on any device, while protecting the publisher's right to receiving compensation for each copy that a different user can simultaneously use. I think Amazon's model is the only model that can support these features.