Harry Potter eBooks to be officially sold

[TheJohnNewton]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I can easily see this watermark being found and we'll be told how to remove it.

Why would you bother? The problem with DRM, imo, is when it prevents you from using a book the way you want to which usually means you're limted to certain devices. I don't think a watermark prevents anything does it?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by TheJohnNewton

Why would you bother? The problem with DRM, imo, is when it prevents you from using a book the way you want to which usually means you're limited to certain devices. I don't think a watermark prevents anything does it?

A Watermark does the same thing that DRM does. It treats me like I am a criminal. That is why I am against the watermark.

[TheJohnNewton]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

A Watermark does the same thing that DRM does. It treats me like I am a criminal. That is why I am against the watermark.

I thought the watermark indicated who the legal owner is? You feel that is treating you like a criminal? All I care about is that I can use the book any way I want on any device I want. If they want to stamp it "property of John" I really don't care.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

This site on the BBC article interested me:

Really, does that mean you made your money so you are done writing?

BOb

I can kind of understand it, though. She doesn't have to be greedy to feel that way, I mean.

I think after that many books, movies, theme parks, etc. of a series, I'd be sick of it, too. No matter how much it started as a labor of love, you probably hit a saturation point eventually. I actually kind of feel sorry for her, in a way -- she's kind of got classic "top of the world" syndrome, not unlike astronauts. When you've hit a peak like that, where do you go, and how do you deal with all the high expectations people have for you?

In a way, I think it would be hard.

They say that Emma Watson is going through something similar -- I saw some article awhile back about how she wanted to be treated normally, but everyone knows her as Hermione Granger. Seems like it'd be a little lonely.

Not that I don't volunteer to get super rich and famous on my writing so I can report back and confirm/deny whether it's tough or not.

[solitarywolf]

I am sad for her that she didn't see the light with ebooks sooner. There is a part of the internet that has filled the void where she could have been profiting sooner. This would be a great opportunity to study the cause/effect of the black market against a product that was not available.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by solitarywolf

I am sad for her that she didn't see the light with ebooks sooner. There is a part of the internet that has filled the void where she could have been profiting sooner. This would be a great opportunity to study the cause/effect of the black market against a product that was not available.

Well, I agree. But now it's morphed into a case of black market against a DRM scheme (because DWs are DRM, as far as I can tell, just not "device-locking" ones) some people strongly dislike.

It's also disappointing that without the store buying option, all these HP books are going to be side-loads and therefore likely not sync'able for notes, last page read, etc. Heck, I know a lot of Kindle users who LOVE their "see how many people highlighted this passage" features and groovy stuff like that.

I'm kind of hoping that after the Pottermore initial release, we'll see the Big 4 stores trickle into the HP good graces.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by solitarywolf

I am sad for her that she didn't see the light with ebooks sooner.

I really don't think she needs your pity. I really don't.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

I really don't think she needs your pity. I really don't.

And if this helps sell Sony Readers, all the better to have waited.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

A Watermark does the same thing that DRM does. It treats me like I am a criminal. That is why I am against the watermark.

No, it benefits you. It's a label saying "this is Jon's book". Should anyone else get hold of it, the watermark is proof that the book is your property, not theirs. It's like tagging your property so it can be identified if it's stolen.

[Nahgem]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And if this helps sell Sony Readers, all the better to have waited.

As much as I love my Nooks, I've started getting interested in the newest line of Sonys too. If there were Potter-themed Sony readers available (especially if they came pre-loaded with the books), I'd very strongly consider diversifying.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by TheJohnNewton

Why would you bother? The problem with DRM, imo, is when it prevents you from using a book the way you want to which usually means you're limted to certain devices. I don't think a watermark prevents anything does it?

We'll have to see. I like to reformat my books so I can turn them into PDF's. Don't like the epub reader on my Sony nor on my BeBook Mini. And my JE100 can't even read epub so I use mobi on that.

[anonymoose]

Originally Posted by stickybuns

Does that mean we'll have a Jar Jar Binks type to (not) look forward to?

I think Dobby already covers this.

[stickybuns]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, it benefits you. It's a label saying "this is Jon's book". Should anyone else get hold of it, the watermark is proof that the book is your property, not theirs. It's like tagging your property so it can be identified if it's stolen.

How would someone go about stealing an ebook?

I would have thought the intended purpose of watermarks is to let the copyright holder know that it was "John Smith" who uploaded to darknet.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by stickybuns

How would someone go about stealing an ebook?

You lose your eBook reader. Someone else finds it and claims that it's theirs. If the books on the reader are watermarked, it's evidence as to who the legal owner of them is. Like a serial number on a physical device.

[stickybuns]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You lose your eBook reader. Someone else finds it and claims that it's theirs. If the books on the reader are watermarked, it's evidence as to who the legal owner of them is. Like a serial number on a physical device.

Ah, I'm following you now. Sorry, it's 2AM over here... my brain is a tad sluggish at the moment.

But wait... wouldn't the registered serial number of the ereader itself be evidence of legal ownership? I still say that watermarks are intended to help identify people illegally distributing and pirating ebooks (although I'll acquiesce to the argument that a side benefit may be that it can prove ownership).