[Laridae]

Let's hope that competition among providers keeps 'em honest. Otherwise, as already pointed out, there's always free library books available.

And if they've learned anything from the Music industry model they will see that as long as prices are reasonable piracy will be contained - people just can't be bothered. But if the publishers get greedy I expect users will be more inclined to take the extra effort to strip the DRM and pass the books around.

Writers and publishers are entitled to a reasonable reward for their efforts. But if they try to extort extra then people will find a way around. Most users are honest and law-abiding but their conscience doesn't bother them too much if they feel they are being ripped off!