Antitrust suit against Amazon and publishers dismissed...

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by thymaster

I just want to comment the person who wrote that article is a horrible writer. Sounds like a grade 6 writing it. The thoughts are all over the place and a lot of things didn't make sense. Hmmm.

The paucity of reasoning in that item is conveyed by the Onion for Dummies headline (which is intended to be sarcastic, since it runs contrary to the tone of the piece):

"Amazon's eBook Monopoly Allowed to Continue Unhindered."

What if headlines in ordinary newspapers were written that way?

"Amoral World Allows Horrible School Bully to Continue Being Horrible School Bully"

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

I know, shocking...
The Digital Reader Blog has a nice summary of the judge's ruling.

http://www.the-digital-reader.com/20...ue-unhindered/





Sadly, Nate went light on the snark this time.

A lot more at the site including this:



I suppose there are now *two* "corrupt judges in Amazon's pocket".

Thanks! Glad to see this resolved.

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, they can be read on every device or app whose manufacturer has licensed Adobe Reader Mobile. That's far from being the same as "every device that can read ePub". ADE is just as much (or as little) a "lock-in" as Amazon's DRM.

Mmm, android users can read mantano or other app, same on iOS.

cybooks, kobo, nook, sony, pocketbook, can use adept. Linux user will have trouble, and that's pretty much all. Maybe not "all device", but a very large majority IMHO.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Mmm, android users can read mantano or other app, same on iOS.

That's because Mantano has licensed the Adobe RMSDK. Just like Harry said they would need to do to read DRMed ePubs. You're proving his point, not pointing out exceptions.

[tubemonkey]

I heart Kindle. Inexpensive ereaders, huge selection, and wireless transfer of library books. Amazon makes reading very easy for me.

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

That's because Mantano has licensed the Adobe RMSDK. Just like Harry said they would need to do to read DRMed ePubs. You're proving his point, not pointing out exceptions.

Yes, and most, of not all, devices have an app with an RMSDK licence, hence, can read adept protected books.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

True for apple and B&N, false for the rest as everyone else use adept. And adept protected books can be read on every device that can read ePub.

Sometimes false for Kobo, it depends. More and more people are reporting buying books and not getting an ePub download option, only kePub which uses Kobo's DRM (unless the publisher went DRM-free) and the ACCESS renderer instead of the Abode RMSDK renderer.

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Sometimes false for Kobo, it depends. More and more people are reporting buying books and not getting an ePub download option, only kePub which uses Kobo's DRM (unless the publisher went DRM-free) and the ACCESS renderer instead of the Abode RMSDK renderer.

I buy all of my books at kobo, and never had that.
I thought only kobo / kobo apps would use kpub and kobo drm ??

I'll keep that in mind, though, to avoid getting in trouble.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

I buy all of my books at kobo, and never had that.

I haven't had it happen yet either thankfully, but it's being reported as happening here on the forum more and more.

I thought only kobo / kobo apps would use kpub and kobo drm ??

They're the only things that can use it, that's why folks have been complaining. Since they've launched their new site they don't tell you what the download format, if any, is anymore which is why it's more of a problem. You don't know ahead of time if you'll get DRM'd ePub (most are), DRM-free ePub, DRM'd PDF or no other download but kePub.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Yes, and most, of not all, devices have an app with an RMSDK licence, hence, can read adept protected books.

Yes, and most, if not all, devices have an app for reading Kindle books, hence, can read Amazon protected books.

I really don't get the distinction many try to make. You are no more (or less) "locked in" by Amazon's DRM on their ebooks than you are by Adobe's DRM on ePubs. Both can be read on almost all of the devices out there. Both require a licensed app to do so. Same-same. Evil Amazon or evil Adobe.

I concede the point that the underlying format of Amazon ebooks is proprietary where ePub is an open standard, but that point is fairly pointless UNTIL you get to DRM-free. And if you're to DRM-free... then you're already past any "lock in" whatsoever.

Besides; open standards are great, but when almost all of the major ePub players have added their own proprietary "features" to an ePub spec from which they've already chosen to cherry-pick what they want (and to ignore what they don't want) ... well, then "open standard" gets a little meaningless, too.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Yes, and most, if not all, devices have an app for reading Kindle books, hence, can read Amazon protected books.

I really don't get the distinction many try to make. You are no more (or less) "locked in" by Amazon's DRM on their ebooks than you are by Adobe's DRM on ePubs. Both can be read on almost all of the devices out there. Both require a licensed app to do so. Same-same. Evil Amazon or evil Adobe.

I concede the point that the underlying format of Amazon ebooks is proprietary where ePub is an open standard, but that point is fairly pointless UNTIL you get to DRM-free. And if you're to DRM-free... then you're already past any "lock in" whatsoever.

Besides; open standards are great, but when almost all of the major ePub players have added their own proprietary "features" to an ePub spec from which they've already chosen to cherry-pick what they want (and to ignore what they don't want) ... well, then "open standard" gets a little meaningless, too.

^ this

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

I haven't had it happen yet either thankfully, but it's being reported as happening here on the forum more and more.



They're the only things that can use it, that's why folks have been complaining. Since they've launched their new site they don't tell you what the download format, if any, is anymore which is why it's more of a problem. You don't know ahead of time if you'll get DRM'd ePub (most are), DRM-free ePub, DRM'd PDF or no other download but kePub.

**Sighs** I guess that if the "worse" happen, i can use my aura, but that would piss the hell out of me.

Besides; open standards are great, but when almost all of the major ePub players have added their own proprietary "features" to an ePub spec from which they've already chosen to cherry-pick what they want (and to ignore what they don't want) ... well, then "open standard" gets a little meaningless, too.

True.
Though, at least, ePub can be easily edited.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Though, at least, ePub can be easily edited.

I'll give you that, too.
But the number of readers affected by the need to "edit" their ebooks has to be pretty tiny, no?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'll give you that, too.
But the number of readers affected by the need to "edit" their ebooks has to be pretty tiny, no?

And those who do feel the need are probably going to use a tool like Calibre, which makes it as easy to edit KF8 as ePub.

[fjtorres]

Publishers Weekly has a report with a few choice quotes from the judge:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...rs-amazon.html

“What the ABA-Kobo program shows is that plaintiffs are not foreclosed from selling Publishers’ e-books,” he held, “and to the extent plaintiffs have been frozen out of the e-book market, it is not because of any unlawful concerted action by the defendants. Rather, it is simply because consumers prefer the products offered by plaintiffs’ competitors.”

As to the monopoly counts against Amazon, Rakoff again cited a lack of plausibility, and a lack of supporting facts in dismissing the claim. “Plaintiffs complain that Amazon has not allowed them to sell e-books on Amazon’s devices and apps,” Rakoff wrote, acknowledging that the Kindle is a "closed" platform. “But," he concluded, "no business has a duty to aid competitors"