Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
It's only a "loss of freedom" if you no longer have access to your books. How many people are bothered about DRM on DVDs? I suspect very few, because the DRM on DVDs doesn't stop you from playing your DVDs. Provided that I can read my books on a wide range of device, I'm really not bothered about DRM, and Amazon's policy appears to be to permit me to read my books on as wide a range of device as possible.
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You are right in that most people do not care about drm and will likely not do so unless they are very directly affected by it. And Amazon is fairly sensible about things with applications for Android, IOS and PC giving plenty of options to read your books. And the apps are fairly good ones. But of course, what Apprentice Alf gives us is the ability to read our purchased books on non-Amazon devices and the ability to future proof our books and keep them safe from any future less benign policies. There is no point in us repeating a discussion here on the evils and/or potential evils of drm, which have been done to death. I do think, however, that the simple criterion of mere access to our books leaves a lot to be desired so far as "freedom" is concerned. Because whilst there is effective drm, it is the seller who has the power to determine the terms of that access and its limitations. I am of the view that this is a power which should belong to the purchaser, or, if you prefer, to the licensee, or to the person obtaining the rights under whatever legal structure is adopted.