Quote:
Originally Posted by Manabi
Adobe Digital Editions 3 DRM has gotten quite a bit of outrage, especially with its latest version, and has caused plenty of people problems with being able to access legitimately purchased e-books after its release. Making your DRM cause more problems than it did previously is hardly "moving forward". That's more moving backwards.
People are more understanding of DRM for library borrowing because they understand something has to be there to keep it from being a free e-book giveaway. (And even then, someone determined to pirate it can do so without much trouble, so it's not very effective.)
On the other hand, buyers almost routinely hate DRM of any kind. Hachette is infamously pro-DRM for their e-books, going so far as to tell their UK authors that they had to insist Tor keep DRM on their e-books in the US, because Hachette published them in the UK. And that in future contracts they'll require authors to go with a publisher in the US that does use DRM.
That's part of why I have trouble believing them in this spat with Amazon. It's very, very hard to believe Hachette's on the side of consumers or authors. |
Both companies are fighting for themselves we are just observers. The more interesting thing for me is how far Amazon is willing to hurt its customers and its customer service in getting its way.
The publishers like Hachette have shot themselves in the foot by keeping or forcing drm which allowed Amazon to get a virtual monopoly in the ebook market. Its a common problem taught in business studies about how companies trying to protect their cash cows let opportunities to innovate or change go by and are left behind by competitors.
To protect their cash cow (Physical Books) they did not go into ebooks all in and now are being crushed. If they had set up drm free ebook stores selling their own books or at least let other ebook stores sell drm free ebooks Amazon would have had competition and not the power it has today.