Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan
True. However, it could work if it was modified to adhere to the principle that "only a registered USER can view this content."
Doing so would require an ID verification module on whatever device you used to read a document... verify your ID with a thumbprint scan, say, and the doc opens. The software would only be able to read ID-registered content, so the distributor of the content would need to ID-register any content you obtained before you loaded it into your device.
This also requires closed reading hardware/software that cannot be easily hacked or modified, like an iPad or iTouch and iOS.
Bottom line, it's do-able with today's technology. Not much different than logging into your PC before you can use it.
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That's how I think it should work. You put a subroutine into the file that asks for an identifier (like your name and credit card number), and then you go on about your reading. Hell, the identifier could be a key you load on to all your devices (computer, Kindle, Nook, iPad, whatever), so that the user wouldn't have to worry about entering a password or anything. It would basically be a PID, but instead of being for one device, it would be for all devices.
As for the bagel experiment, I think the difference here is that the people stealing the bagels have to do it
in person, in a very concrete way. That's very different from sitting behind a keyboard. I think that most people who download pirated books would not stoop to shoplifting. And, of course, the bagels can't be replicated, so that if some of them get away for free, there's not the same potential for loss.
Stephen King experimented with "pay what you think is fair" and was very disappointed with it. Radiohead also tried it. And even if we agree that the bagel story would be a typical experience, not every business can take a sustained 13% loss due to theft.
Edited to add: I don't think the biometric idea is practical. It would add too much cost to the devices, and any fingerprint reader I've ever used has been a pain in the ass. I had an HP with a fingerprint reader a few years ago. I could spend 5 minutes swiping my finger on that machine and it'd still refuse me entry. It's not entry to the e-reader that you want to prevent. It's entry into the content. For that purpose, all that has to happen is for the software to know that the person loading the e-book is the same person who bought it. You can do that by putting identifiers in the device and the e-book, without the user's input each time.