Quote:
Originally Posted by spindlegirl
DRM should not be on books that are for a personal sale.
I don't mind the DRM in library books since the whole idea is that my reading for any title borrowed is for the time on my card. I don't care, as they can have it back when my time is up, or even before if I either am done with it faster or didn't like it.
This is why for the most part, I borrow or read free or low cost e-books, but will buy printed books. There is so much less legal hassle with the things.
I keep reading articles about how e-books are not "special snowflakes". I have yet to see a publisher act like it. They stick DRM as the final attempt at a stranglehold, yet I have freely and legally been able to pass my paper copy of "The Curious incident of the dog in the night time around to dozens of people.
Yes, if I am handing out a physical book i am not making a copy.... I don't consider that book so unmemorable that I quickly forget my experience with that book just because my father in law is now reading it. Plus, he can hand it back to me when he's done, and we can actually legally keep handing that same copy back and forth til kingdom come.
I have actually more sharing legality with one paper book than I do for PERSONAL use (and no intent of sharing with anyone) of one DRM infected book.
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Actually, sabre dog is simply wrong about that . DRM does prevent technologically unsophisticated consumers from sharing ebooks across networks of families and friends. in that way, DRM protects against lost sales. It doesn't protect against the technologically sophisticated pirate , but it does stop the teenager from emailing copies of the latest Twilight book to all her Facebook friends .
" Sharing" an ebook is different than lending your copy of a pbook to your father in law. Without DRM, you could go a lot further than "sharing " an ebook with one person - with a click of the mouse , you could "share " a unprotected ebook with everyone on this forum , while keeping a copy for yourself. Now of course, you protest that YOU wouldn't do that-but there are lots of people who would.
Purveyors of goods have found, through bitter experience, that they cannot profitably offer goods for sale on the assumption of universal honesty of their clientele. The retailer who doesn't secure his goods is the retailer who soon ends up out of business. It is the retailer who doesn't "trust the customer" who lives to sell another day.
You are right- ebooks aren't "special snowflakes" . The law applies to them as much as it does to any other property offered for sale. Unfortunately, it is much, much easier to distribute unlimited copes of an ebook than it is to distribute lots of copies of pbooks- yet it hurts the author just as much.
I acknowledged that DRM is imperfect-yet no protection whatsoever is even less perfect,
n'est-ce pas ?.