Adobe ePub DRM cracked?

[SpiderMatt]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I take that person's word that it is indeed illegal. The newspapers here report otherwise (which is where I got my story from). As I said before, newspapers are not a terribly reliable source of information, and I was obviously misinformed.

I did a port visit to Thailand with the U.S. Navy and before liberty we were all informed of local laws and customs as an attempt to keep us out of trouble (it never works--someone always gets in trouble). I also remember reading it in Frommer's, if that helps.

[SpiderMatt]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What do when what we want to read is only available in eBook format and has DRM?

The reason for stripping DRM is so we can use what we paid for when we want.

Using Calibre, I can take an ePub that I've stripped the DRM from and convert it to LRF, LIT, and/or Mobipocket. This means that my investment can have a life beyond the initial read. PLus, if the ePub's content is not available in a format that my device can handle, I can still have access to the content. What it is is a win-win situation. The publisher makes money. The author(s) make money, and I get to read what I want.

I agree. I also agree with the argument that to stop buying DRMed e-books would send the message that there just isn't a large enough market for e-books to continue supporting it. Most publisher's aren't going to just jump into the digital market without any restrictions on their content and see what happens. They should but they won't and they're going to use the content they supply as a gauge for how big the market is.

Also, if a store offers a good price on an e-book, I'm going to take advantage of it, even if it has DRM (that I can strip off). This is supporting the store, as well. If people refused to buy digital music with DRM when iTunes debuted then iTunes would have failed and no one would have wanted to try to tap that market again for quite some time. As it turned out, iTunes was success in spite of DRM because everyone who wanted to was simply circumventing it, anyway. In any other scenario, it's hard to believe that DRM-free music would be as prevalent in online stores as it is today.

[TheJohnNewton]

If ten million ebook readers were sold but only 10 drm books what message would that send?

[astra]

Originally Posted by TheJohnNewton

If ten million ebook readers were sold but only 10 drm books what message would that send?

That most people who bought the devices are, like Harry_T, interested in free books and don't read contemporary fiction.

[TheJohnNewton]

I read contemporary fiction. I just buy it at a used book store. The rest is correct though.

[astra]

Originally Posted by TheJohnNewton

I read contemporary fiction. I just buy it at a used book store. The rest is correct though.

It means you are still dealing with printed books.
I don't anymore.

[TheJohnNewton]

That is correct because ebooks with drm are not my cup of tea. Per my original post, in support of Harry's ideas, do you think ebook sellers would gain any insight from my scenario? I suppose partly out of laziness I've taken the approach of simply not purchasing drm books but I've not attempted to contact publishers to tell them why.

[astra]

By not buying DRM protected ebooks you don't send any message to them. There are too many unknown reasons/variables. However, if people buy DRM protected books and they hack the DRM and it becomes a world-wide-easy accessible knowledge and also their DRM protected books appear as DRM stripped ebooks on darknet, all of this after huge money investment into DRM protection in the first place, they might start to think, whether it is worth the trouble.

[Alexander Turcic]

Originally Posted by astra

By not buying DRM protected ebooks you don't send any message to them. There are too many unknown reasons/variables.

Now that you are mentioning it, it makes me think it could send the complete opposite message. It could make publishers think and argue that now isn't the time for e-books since people are obviously avoiding them.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

Now that you are mentioning it, it makes me think it could send the complete opposite message. It could make publishers think and argue that now isn't the time for e-books since people are obviously avoiding them.

i agree with this ; i think at the very least, if you do not buy drm ebooks specifically because of the drm, you should write to the publishers and tell them that, and request drm free books, and ask them whether they would consider publishing without drm. they're not mind readers and i think they would be all too happy to point to weak sales and say "see ? like we've been saying, no reason to change the status quo, nobody is interested in ebooks."

but i still do think that the best policy is to buy ebooks (even with drm, if it is a form which can be stripped ; they must know which ones have been cracked, and if they see a significant trend in favour of these formats they might stop to think why) AND write to publishers to tell them that you don't like drm but you do like ebooks.

[astra]

Alexander Turcic
Frankly speaking I didn't make myself clear. When I said

you don't send any message to them

I meant any positive/desirable for us(users) messages. The reason you have mentioned is one of them.

[SpiderMatt]

Originally Posted by TheJohnNewton

If ten million ebook readers were sold but only 10 drm books what message would that send?

It could also mean that people are using such devices for things other than books. There are many uses for e-book readers.

[TheJohnNewton]

My feeling is it is their job to figure out what their customers want and deliver that. At least that would seem like a pretty smart way to run a business. If they make any effort at all to figure out what their customers want I think they will soon realize they don't want books with drm. Until they figure that out they don't deserve my business because they are not delivering a product I find usefull.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

Now that you are mentioning it, it makes me think it could send the complete opposite message. It could make publishers think and argue that now isn't the time for e-books since people are obviously avoiding them.

I'm not saying "don't buy eBooks". I'm saying "buy eBooks from those publishers who don't use DRM". If DRM-free sales boom and DRM-encoded sales slump, THAT sends a clear message to publishers.

[nelsonescorcio]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I don't know of any, but I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say that that means that it's never happened anywhere in the world, ever. Are you making that claim?

I am. Yes, there is not a single soul, on entire planet Earth, that as been acused, somehow, of removing DRM for personal porpuses.
(I might, evidently, be wrong - but to believe it I would want someone to point me the specific case)

And I do agree that is, to say the least, nonsense to compare this civil or criminal ofense with child abuse. (no ofense HarryT, because none is intended. But you were not fortunate in that parallel)