Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
DRMed stuff from Sony Connect isn't all the Sony Reader can display, so not being able to use a DRM model elsewhere isn't necessarily a hold up.
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That leaves us with the varying copyright and distribution systems of different countries. Based on conversations in other threads, we know that different countries handle copyright (and enforcement of copyright) differently, and I know I recall someone, somewhere in these threads, mentioning it as an issue with new books. David Monyhan and Project Gutenberg (Australia) have clued us into the differences in copyright laws in different countries regarding older works.
I'd bet that, in order to satisfy global distribution, Amazon and Sony would have to set up multiple contracts, distribution systems, agreements, etc, to satisfy many different markets. They probably decided not to bother, at least for now. With the U.S. being one of the largest single markets, not to mention being full of more consumers with deep pockets, it was the logical choice to start with, if you had to start on a limited basis.
But back on topic: Of course, a good-sized part of me hopes they both fail, or at least sell seriously below expectations, and that it can be directly attributed to their proprietary formats. Then, either the devices would have to switch formats (say, to ePub), or they would have to work out agreements with the other formats to allow them to run on their devices. As good as Sony's might be, and as large as Amazon's library may be, I think the first hardware device that will read the most popular 3-4 e-book formats will win the day.