Thread: DRM Good or Bad?
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Old 04-14-2012, 07:03 PM   #409
Elfwreck
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frahse View Post
DRM in general is necessary for eBooks and publishing to be viable. Therefore it is good for the author and what is good for authors will in the end be good for the reader.
Baen has been publishing ebooks for more than 10 years without DRM, and they keep producing bestsellers. I can name half a dozen or more publishers that don't use DRM, and again, they seem to be doing fine. Konrath has made over a million dollars selling non-DRM'd ebooks; apparently, indie authors don't need DRM for self-pubishing to be viable. O'Reilly sells nonfic, mostly technical, without DRM, and says their ebook sales have more than made up for the decline of their print sales.

Which categories of publishing do you think DRM is necessary for? Which ones would disappear if DRM were outlawed--if it became illegal to hinder a buyer's ability to use their purchased (or licensed, whatever) ebooks?

How will it be better for readers 50 years from now not to be able to read their grandparents' books?
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