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Originally Posted by Bob Russell
I wonder if those people who are getting pirated e-books are doing it because they don't want to pay for the book, or because they want to be able to use the book now and in the future without the DRM limitations and troubles?
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You want to read Some Book. It's not an eBook format today. But you see a passable pirated version on Usenet. So you download it, put it on your favorite reader and read it. You like it, so you go to the local bookstore and purchase a paper copy - to make sure that the author gets rewarded for writing such a good book.
Later, another Good Book comes out. You want to read it on your new eBook Reader, but the only eBook version of it that's available doesn't support your reader, is DRMed up the wazoo, and costs more than Amazon.com sells the pBook for. So, once again, you go to Usenet, pick up the pirated version and buy the (cheaper) version from Amazon to make sure that the author is rewarded.
More time goes by. Publishers moan that no one buys eBooks. But, once again, when you look for an eBook version of the Next Good Book, you can't find one that offers good value. There's some issue: the closed, proprietary format isn't supported by your reader, the price of the eBook exceeds the price of the pBook.
How many times will you keep buying the (what seems pointless) pBook before you simply "forget" one day and don't notice?
There's where the problem is. The longer it takes for the publishers to "get it", the more apt people will be to simply pirate the book and say "to heck with the official channels" and not feel at least guilty.