Quote:
Originally Posted by kovidgoyal
Just to be clear, there cannot be a technological solution to the problem of preventing illegal file sharing.
|
Perhaps not, but there may be a BUSINESS solution! case in point being the Itunes store. I hear Apple has stopped DRMing many titles. They let you use purchased material on 5 devices. They are doing very well. Why are they doing well? Because they decided to allow the consumers to have RIGHTS when they purchase from the Apple store.
And Apple hasn't allowed unrestrained greed to torpedo their efforts. DRM is simply going to go away. Smart companies will adapt to the market and make profits like Apple has done. If publishers can't understand that an e-book is a lesser good than a paper or hardback book, and adjust prices accordingly, they will not have a market. Piracy will always exist, but piracy isn't really the issue here.
Music piracy would exist with or without Itunes, and book piracy will exist no matter what publishers do. The real question that publishers should be asking is "how do I make a profit." Not "how can we stop those pesky pirates." And a big part of the answer is CONVENIENCE."
Would many if not most readers pay $3 or $4 for a well-formatted e-book, perhaps with an extra or 2 thrown in, as opposed to grabbing a free pirated edition? I think they would. Are most readers stupid enough to pay close to paper book prices for an e-book, and lose most of their rights in the process (right to resell being a big right that is lost). Doesn't look like it.