Quote:
Originally Posted by msundman
You seem to be under the evidently incorrect impression that the best product wins on a (free) market. Also, you also seem to think that much better alternatives that aren't yet available would actually be something that consumers could choose instead of the inferior products that are currently available.
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Consumers choose a product for a reason. Price and convenience seem to be fairly popular reasons. Whether for these reasons or any other, the chosen product offers something another does not. Consumers can let companies know they want what isn't being offered by not purchasing what they have to offer. The idea that a person has to buy the product just because he wanted something similar is ludicrous. If anyone is so desparate for an ebook that he is willing to buy one with DRM, then that person is proving the company right. He is, in effect, saying, "This product isn't quite what I wanted, but it sure beats having to buy a paper book." Just like people can buy CD's without DRM, they can buy physical books without DRM. I respect your stance against DRM, but if you purchase ebooks with DRM just because it's the only legal ebook you can get, then you're hurting your cause (and you shouldn't call in the government to clean up the mess).
Quote:
Originally Posted by msundman
Why would the market move away from DRM? As long as most of the big titles are only available with DRM there is no pressure to move away from DRM. If people want those titles (and they do, per definition) then they will just have to accept whatever restrictions the publishers want to impose on readers because there is no alternative. It's all very similar to price fixing, which is illegal in most countries, for a very good reason.
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The music market is rapidly moving away from DRM. Not because of the EU, but because people want it. Amazon has acted as a catalyst here, signing several big labels over to their mp3 store. Amazon offers a better product for less money and iTunes will soon have to come to grips with that and actually compete for once. Why did iTunes stay on top so long? Apparently people thought that paying $.99 for a song with DRM was better than purchasing a CD they could rip to their computer at better quality and no DRM restrictions. I fail to see how that's Apple's fault. In every case of DRM, there is an alternative. There are no restrictions on paper books and that is always an option.* The "no alternative" argument is bunk. People can always read a book without DRM. The dilemma is if you want to pay more for it or not. One of the key words you use above is "want." People
want books, they don't
need them. I'm skeptical about the government providing everyone's needs, much less trying to cover everyone's wants. How spoiled does a person have to be to force someone else to do his bidding because he wants it that way?
Quote:
Originally Posted by msundman
Actually at the moment there is an alternative to DRM. Namely to get the titles illegally. Hopefully the publishers will realize that there needs to be a legal alternative before too many consumers learn and get used to getting all their books illegally (which also happens to be more or less gratis).
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I pretty much completely agree with this. As I said before, companies are reacting to piracy the wrong way. They seem to be digging themselves deeper with every DRM product released.
*The following idea seems to be controversial among some in these forums, but I don't see why. If you want an ebook legally, but don't want DRM and price is no issue, purchasing the paper book and obtaining a digital copy--whether you scan it yourself or not--should be legal. I am aware of no U.S. law (I can't speak for other countries) that says this is illegal. After all, if you're caught with a digital library of things you physically own, you can't be arrested on charges of theft. You clearly haven't stolen anything.