Quote:
Originally Posted by frahse
What many here don't realize is that digital books, electronic readers, electronic copies of books at libraries are all made possible by DRM. No DRM, then none of that would exist.
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This is an interesting assertion. I don't think it's entirely true, but it does seem to be a factor in achieving the level of EBR sophistication we have reached.
It seems to me that it is perfectly proper for a publisher to put DRM on its books - what strikes me as wrong is that the law punishes anyone who sells or distributes the tools to remove the DRM.
DRM could exist, and presumably did exist, without the protection of the DMCA. What this makes me think is that the real problem lies in the overreach of the DMCA.
Suppose, for example, the DMCA did not effectively prevent stripping of DRM, but only prohibited unauthorized resale, with the presumption that any unlimited distribution (e.g., torrenting) is equivalent to resale. I think we'd still have EBRS and ebooks.
Further, there might still be a market for EBRs to be used for reading things other than books. That market might not be filled by dedicated EBRs, but it could easily be filled by tablets. In turn, the existence of tablets could well call into existence a market for ebooks sold on the Baen model.