Quote:
Originally Posted by Rizla
If one only buys a license to read a book, how long is the license for? Or is it unspecified, and as such, the seller can withdrew the license at any point? And would they need to give a refund?
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It will vary by retailer but unless the Terms specifically say they can, they can't.
There have been attempts to sell expiring-license ebooks (Sony, for one) and pbooks but neither ever got far.
Indeed, right now a textbook publisher is trying it with their legal texts. No refunds.
http://www.the-digital-reader.com/20...aper-textbook/
In practical terms, DRM-free ebooks are yours to read forever.
DRM'ed ebooks are yours to read as long as the authentication servers are active for most forms of encryption DRM and as long as you have software (or devices) that can open the file for watermark and eReader DRM titles.
One consequence of the licensed approach is that you aren't buying a file so you get to download it as many times as you need to, usually to different devices. This was not always so. In earlier times some retailers sold you one encrypted file, licenced to one device. You lost the file? Tough luck--you don't get a free replacement pbook if you lose it or your dog eats it, do you?
Folks like to harp on the limitations of ebook licenses but many conveniently forget the pluses. The two products may be superficially similar but they are really very different in terms of what you are paying for.
The old saying "you get what you pay for" has a modern corollary: "...so you'd better know what you're paying for".
With a pbook, CD, or DVD you are paying for the media, not the contents. With the digital equivalents, you are paying for access to the content.