MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - STUDY SHOWS: Ditching DRM could reduce piracy, prices

ekster · 10-14-2011, 02:31 PM

To put it in numbers...

A) Let's say a 1000 want to purchase an ebook. It is without DRM. 100 want to violate the copyrights and upload, so they do it. There are now a different 100 copies that can be downloaded of the exact same thing.
Sales: 1000
People who can steal it for free: infinity

B) Let's say a 1000 want to purchase an ebook, but DRM is forced on it. So only 900 of them buy it, about 200 people are annoyed, and 90 of them want to violate the copyrights and upload it. Only 30 succeed in breaking the DRM. There are now a different 30 copies that can be downloaded of the exact same thing.
Sales: 900
Annoyed legit customers: 200
People who can steal it for free: infinity

C) Let's say a 1000 want to purchase an ebook, but they put a SUPER DRM on it, which can only be unlocked with kryptonite, and which is super restrictive. So only 500 of them buy it, about 400 people are annoyed, 100 people are super annoyed, 50 people will never buy anything from that company/publisher/store/author ever again, and 10 of them want to violate the copyrights and upload it. Only Lex Luther succeed in breaking the DRM. There is now a 1 copy that can be downloaded for free.
Sales: 500
Annoyed legit customers: 400
Super annoyed legit customers: 100
People that will never buy anything from them again: 50
People who can steal it for free: infinity

Hrmm... A, B or C... which one is better?

10-14-2011, 02:31 PM	#232
ekster Currently without a title Posts: 203 Karma: 3209914 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Canada, Qc Device: Kobo Touch	To put it in numbers... A) Let's say a 1000 want to purchase an ebook. It is without DRM. 100 want to violate the copyrights and upload, so they do it. There are now a different 100 copies that can be downloaded of the exact same thing. Sales: 1000 People who can steal it for free: infinity B) Let's say a 1000 want to purchase an ebook, but DRM is forced on it. So only 900 of them buy it, about 200 people are annoyed, and 90 of them want to violate the copyrights and upload it. Only 30 succeed in breaking the DRM. There are now a different 30 copies that can be downloaded of the exact same thing. Sales: 900 Annoyed legit customers: 200 People who can steal it for free: infinity C) Let's say a 1000 want to purchase an ebook, but they put a SUPER DRM on it, which can only be unlocked with kryptonite, and which is super restrictive. So only 500 of them buy it, about 400 people are annoyed, 100 people are super annoyed, 50 people will never buy anything from that company/publisher/store/author ever again, and 10 of them want to violate the copyrights and upload it. Only Lex Luther succeed in breaking the DRM. There is now a 1 copy that can be downloaded for free. Sales: 500 Annoyed legit customers: 400 Super annoyed legit customers: 100 People that will never buy anything from them again: 50 People who can steal it for free: infinity Hrmm... A, B or C... which one is better?