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Originally Posted by koland
I've started seeing reports that this isn't true with B&N's DRM scheme - when your credit card expiration date hits, apparently the book expires. You then have to redownload.
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I've not seen any such reports, but even if it were exactly true, that's not a time limit. You would be free to re download and keep reading indefinitely.
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With Kindle, of course, the downloaded book expires when your device does. You then have to redownload to some other device.
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Again, same thing, not a time limit in any sense. (Is this really not patently obvious?)
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Both schemes assume that the retailer will live on forever, which is a pretty bad bet. Although at least my Borders books moved to Kobo successfully, that transition is unusual. And even if the company continues, that doesn't mean you'll be able to redownload all your books (and issue with some old ereader format books at B&N, as they run out of devices that support that format).
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On the point of my post, again, this is not a time limit, unless I missed the line in the TOS where B&N told us they plan to out of business and orphan their ebooks in x number of years.
All these situations are no different than you keeping your paperbacks in a storage unit, and having the storage company fold, or your lease expire and getting locked out, or having your books turn to pulp after years in a tropical jungle. All these would be just as much 'time limits' on your ability to read your paper books. There are no guarantees and nothing lasts forever.
So no, these are no time limits on purchased ebooks.
In fact, in many cases, I think the kinds of 'time limits' YOU are citing are SHORTER for pbooks than ebooks: Several friends homes are currently underwater. I can imagine an awful lot of pbooks were lost this past week in hurricane Sandy. Most of the ebooks lost will be able to be easily re-downloaded, which some people will find some comfort in as they rebuild.
On the ACTUAL point you make about possibly losing access in the event of a DRM system folding and orphaning the ebooks, of course, I'm in full favor of protecting against that, and I want both the providers and the law to address the issue.
ApK