[Tommaths]

Results:

1. Amazon device and store were the most commonly used (74.3% indicated they commonly purchase eBooks from Amazon).

Other manufacturers/retailers (google, Samsung, Kobo, Nook, etc) were far more popular among non-UK respondents.

2. The majority of respondents were satisfied with eBookstores (21.4% Very Satisfied; 43.9% Satisfied [Median], 23.5% Neutral, 7.1% Unsatisfied, 4.1% Very Unsatisfied.

3. The majority of respondents indicated they were fairly knowledgeable about DRM [median].

4. 63.4% indicated the eBooks they purchased were mostly DRM-protected.

5. Only 6.9% were in favour of DRM on eBooks. 73.3% were not.

6. Interoporability was the most important issue for respondents. 67.3% strongly agreed that it was important to them that eBooks files could be transferred easily between devices [median].

7. Respondents were apparently uninterested or neutral toward a secondary eBook market.

8. The importance of being able to lend and bequeath eBooks received similar percentages for each variable. The median was Agree for each (28.7% and 31% respectively).

9. 45.6% strongly agreed that DRM is an inclination of no trust. Similarly, 44.6% strongly agreed that they would only buy eBooks from trusted sources. However, the median for each was agree.

10. The majority were concerned content providers might be monitoring their eBook usage. That said, the data was quite dispersed.

11. A similar percentage strongly agreed that DRM should comply with copyright law as did agree that end-user license agreements should be transparent, i.e., the restrictions clearly displayed: 55% and 55.6% respectively. The median for each was strongly agree.

12. 39.6% strongly disagreed that DRM was difficult to remove. 24.8% disagreed. 28.7% were neutral.

13. The median disagreed that DRM is necessary to fight copyright infringement. Also, 47% strongly disagreed.


14. 50.5% strongly disagreed that DRM helps sustain the eBook market.

15. 99 responded to the section on behavioural consequences resulting from DRM: 31.3% were less willing to pay for eBooks; 68.7% were considering removing DRM; 67.7% were considering buying DRM-free eBooks; 19.2% were considering downloading illegally. Only 21.2% were not considering doing the actions just mentioned.

16. Comments section:

About a dozen stated they remove DRM for personal use about concerns about accessibility, usability, interoperability, etc.

3 or 4 were concerned that the rights granted with eBooks are much more limited than with pBooks. Also tied to this is pricing, i.e., the belief that eBooks should be cheaper than their physical counterparts.

2/3 suggested DRM is necessary to protect the economic rights of authors. Although one author indicated he was not in favour of DRM.

1 suggested piracy helps publicise books and by extension helps sales.

1 respondent said he or she had lost DRM-protected eBook files as they were locked to a device, that is, the device was no longer supported and the DRM restricted file-sharing.

A couple were unsure of the implications of DRM.