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Every time these threads pop up regarding online piracy of ebooks, the same arguments for and against always appear.
None of that is wrong of course!
However the two overriding issues that strongly affect ebook piracy that I see are as follows;
1. DRM - Yep, pesky DRM which now can be circumvented by those of a technical bent and with the right tools and knowledge to do so. Removal of DRM as per the Baen model would allow purchasers of an ebook to move that ebook between ereaders for the lifetime of the purchaser, not the lifetime of the online bookstore it was purchased from. Afterall, if my local Dymocks store went bust, I do not replace my purchased paperback with another copy from a store still trading!
2 Geographical Restrictions - This nasty and more recent impediment is to me even worse than DRM. If publishers were truly worried about reduction of sales this stupid impediment would be the first to go. Who thought of this? A bespectacled cardigan wearing pen pusher buried deep in the accounting section (no disrespect to that profession, my father is a retired accountant) or an IP lawyer? I understand some of this "may" be caused by the domestic restrictions of individual governments and lobby groups determined to protect their own interests, but come on! Recently I tried to purchase the latest Starfist novel from Fictionwise in MOBI format but was denied the sale because of GR, so a quick visit to Diesel resulted in a successful purchase of the same book in same format. Two shops and two policies on the same book?
Removal of this restriction will go a long way to reduce the need for a lot of readers to turn to the darknet for copies they want to buy but cannot. I know I have done just that and recently as well.
I am sure once publishers remove both these outdated and unnecessary restrictions from ebooks as well as keep the cost down to a fair price, perhaps 10-15% less than the dead tree version, sales would be better. This will not stop piracy per se, as there are ALWAYS people who undertake piracy and trying to stop that is akin to one person plugging leaking holes in a dyke. It would well be a win-win for everyone.
Those people who disregard the Baen model really need to see why it works. No DRM, no geographical restrictions and choice of any format, any time works for me every time.
This is the way ahead, not restrictive business practices the like of those of the music/entertainment industry who are still struggling to come to terms with the fact their long held business model is outmoded in the 21st century. Evolution is the key to survival.
Cheers
SD
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