> One of those other models may very well function perfectly
> well without DRM, or with a DRM that is considered
> unobtrusive to customers.
Baen's Webscriptions has functioned without DRM for 10 years now. They appear to be doing quite well.
> It will most likely be a new publisher that will find the e-publishing
Or it can be a new online service that refuses to enter contracts with authors & publishers that require them to provide crippled goods. So far the only one I know is Russian one -
www.litres.ru
Which is where I have been buying my e-books ever since fictionwise informed me that due to my obviously inferior country of origin, they are no longer allowed by the publishing industry to accept me paying for their products.
> Yes, it is human nature to take something for free if you are
> allowed to do so. That's why the darknet is still popular.
It is also in human nature to be lazy. Hunting stuff down on the darknet and then messing with format shifting currently requires more effort than it does to buy it on something like amazon. Unless the "official" channels refuse your money. Or until the first time the customer comes face to face with DRM.
> That's really all DRM needs to work: A service that requires more plusses
> than minuses.
A service that has more plusses than minuses doesn't need DRM to work.
Having had close encounters with DRM from both implementation side and as a customer, I'd say that what DRM really needs to work is a miracle.