Quote:
Originally Posted by Karin54
You really make me very angry, when you write that. I DO NOT want to share my ebooks (and I've bought all of them) with anyone (they can buy their own). I just want to be sure, that I have a copy available, if for some reason, my ebookreader gives out or I can't access my backlog catalog because of changed format or GEO restrictions.
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Authors everywhere bless you for saying that you buy your ebooks and don't want to share them with all and sundry. You will note that there are many on this thread who do assert that they should be able to freely copy and share their ebooks with others. (Indeed, a few seem to be in favor of pirates who want to anonymously share ebooks in their possession with everybody). Curiously, you did not feel it necessary to respond to those people.
In any case, my argument was directed to one person. I thought that was obvious from the context. Sorry if you misunderstood that.
The major booksellers ( Apple, Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Sony) have all established systems for backing up and archiving your purchases-systems far more elaborate and powerful than that available to the average consumer. It is far more likely that your house would burn down, taking your computer and backups, than that Amazon servers will fail.
Geographical restrictions prevent purchases: they don't affect books already purchased, AFAIK.
Format changes have been a problem for buyers of electronic media since there was such a thing as consumer electronics. ( Ask anyone who bought an album in 8 track format or a movie in Betamax format). DRM is tangential to the format change issue. Indeed, it is quite possible that your Non-DRMED ebooks may not be readable on some future ebook reader.
In making these points, I don't dismiss your concerns: they are real. But your concerns should be balanced against the the right of the creators of the ebooks that you enjoy to preserve and protect their intellectual property. If they can't do that, then they won't create any more ebooks. When you chafe at these restrictions, think of whether you would prefer no restrictions and no future ebooks from a favorite author.