Massive wave of ebook piracy?

[Pushka]

hubby is a DTB author with a large US based publisher. Would be well known if I posted the name, which I won't. He agreed to digital rights publication in the contract, he could also have declined if he wanted. He was able to insert special clauses in the contract, like the final say on the design of the cover. He writes business books so it is important for us to get the branding right. But the book has never been published in ebook version because the publisher has never done it.

I am happy to buy any book I read but do insert a USA address to get access to all books I can. I buy drm books but that is hardly an issue anymore with software that floats. I only share books with people on my account.

[Klim Chugunkin]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

That's pretty much what Amazon have done with their Kindle. They made it easy to buy (no computer needed, ready to read within a few seconds of bying), at the sort of prices that make it pointless spending time looking for free copies (at least for the publishers who understand the problem ...).

Except, when you give your money to Amazon, you are not buying ebooks, you instead pay for a temporary license to access the content. Now, I personally would never do that, but there are plenty of suckers who are happy to oblige.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Klim Chugunkin

Except, when you give your money to Amazon, you are not buying ebooks, you instead pay for a temporary license to access the content. Now, I personally would never do that, but there are plenty of suckers who are happy to oblige.

That is what Amazon thinks I just treat it like a pbook and use all rights I feel entitled to -- but not more. Easy enough. Except even Amazon don't think it is "temporary" and even they allow you to legally have 6 people read 6 copies simultaneously. So in some ways even with DRM you have rights you don't have with a paper copy. Anyway, you don't like it, just spend your money elsewhere. If I feel an ebook is too expensive, I just read something else.

[Barcey]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

Yup, and it has been made easy. See below.



This is one of the main reasons it is difficult to get a ground swell of support for dropping DRM ... because for most customers, in fact, it doesn't get in the way. The most common "glitch" is "I can't lend the file" but the reality is you can lend the Kindle in exactly the same you you'd loan the paperback.

I disagree. My experience is that most customers don't understand what is causing their frustration but DRM gets in the way all the time. They blame the device for being too complicated.

The most common is how difficult it is to install the applications on the computer and register the device to the application so you can purchase an ebook or download a book from the library.

Amazon has done a good job of removing the initial frustrations but for them the most common issue will be when people want to buy a new device or borrow a book from the library.

[SensualPoet]

Originally Posted by Barcey

The most common is how difficult it is to install the applications on the computer and register the device to the application so you can purchase an ebook or download a book from the library.

Amazon requires no software to be installed. There's nothing to register save for setting up your billing account. All content is wirelessly sent to your device. If you archive it (ie delete it from the Kindle), it is magically sitting in the "archive List" ready to be resent to the device, again, wirelessly.

You can't borrow library books with a Kindle.

See, that's my point: DRM doesn't get in the way of the Amazon experience. It delivers what it sets out to do, seamlessly. That's why DRM doesn't get in the way and why the vast majority of Amazon Kindle users don't care a fig for DRM arguments. (I'm speculating.)

Until Amazon goes bust, this notion of "you don't own your book" doesn't apply. That is fear-mongering about what might happen in the future. Folks who are really concerned about that are welcome to back up copies to their PC (easily done with the PC version of the Kindle app if you want it) or unDRMed if that's your pleasure.

The frustrations with desktop apps, syncing a device to Adobe software, etc all belongs to the ePub camp. Properly installed, it works pretty well -- including borrowing library apps. The only time I have had problems with Kobo in this regard is using it with Calibre directly. Calibre is not a Kobo app and Kobo can't be responsible if you muck about under the hood. (Note: This is not a slight against Calibre and the fine folks programming there but the software is a work in progress and Kobo can'tbe blamed if things go bump in the night.)

[kyteflyer]

Originally Posted by JaneD

... Do you think Universal & Fox launched Hulu because they desperately wanted to convenience their viewers who'd missed shows on the air? Hellz no! They did it to compete with YouTube, where their product was being posted without their consent, and with no money coming into their pockets. ...

And yet, if you aren't in the US, you cannot access Hulu by any legal means.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by Barcey

I disagree. My experience is that most customers don't understand what is causing their frustration but DRM gets in the way all the time. They blame the device for being too complicated.

The most common is how difficult it is to install the applications on the computer and register the device to the application so you can purchase an ebook or download a book from the library.

Amazon has done a good job of removing the initial frustrations but for them the most common issue will be when people want to buy a new device or borrow a book from the library.

It really isn't rocket science to download & install ADE, nor is it hard to download & install Sony's software. I have NEVER had a problem with either one. It was even easy when I bought a new pc a month ago and reinstalled everything.

If people are having problems it's probably because they haven't taken the time to read what it is they are supposed to do & followed the instructions.

If you haven't done something, it stands to reason you just might need some directions to help you do whatever it is as easily as possible.

[vaughnmr]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

It really isn't rocket science to download & install ADE, nor is it hard to download & install Sony's software. I have NEVER had a problem with either one. It was even easy when I bought a new pc a month ago and reinstalled everything.

If people are having problems it's probably because they haven't taken the time to read what it is they are supposed to do & followed the instructions.

If you haven't done something, it stands to reason you just might need some directions to help you do whatever it is as easily as possible.

Over the last year, I've noticed many complaints about both, from forums and blogs. Evidently it's not as painless as you describe.

[cfrizz]

Like I said, they probably didn't take the time to read what needed to be done, or had different expectations on what THEY thought the software shoud do.

[J. Strnad]

About authors selling worldwide rights:

It doesn't make any sense to sell worldwide rights to a publisher whose distribution is solely in the USA (or elsewhere). If they aren't going to translate the book and if they don't have sales reps making the rounds of bookstores in, say, Belgium, why would you sell them Belgian rights?

Of course, that's the old print model. With ebooks, it makes more sense to sell language-based rights. Unless a publisher is going to translate the book into, say, Korean, why sell them the Korean language rights? On the other hand, with maybe a million Koreans in the USA, you wouldn't want to limit Korean language sales to Korea.

Anyone should be able to buy in any geographical area, and they should be able to buy in the language of their choice. All the author would control would be to whom he/she sells the language rights.

[Ravensknight]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Like I said, they probably didn't take the time to read what needed to be done, or had different expectations on what THEY thought the software should do.

Yeah, THAT'S it! Not like the software is buggy or a piece of crap, it is the customers fault.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

Anyone should be able to buy in any geographical area, and they should be able to buy in the language of their choice. All the author would control would be to whom he/she sells the language rights.

I like it. That's an excellent way to go.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

Yeah, THAT'S it! Not like the software is buggy or a piece of crap, it is the customers fault.

The only buggy thing I found with the Sony software was with the synch feature, so I simply don't use that part. Everything else works without a hitch. Both last years update & this years update.

But if the customer is a computer illiterate, then yeah there just might be a problem. In which case, either learn how to use a pc or stick with paper.

Or it just might be I jumped into the Ereader market at just the right time.

I NEVER try to be the 1st one on the block to buy new technology, that's just asking to be the ginuea pig for the company. I always wait until they have worked most of the bugs out before I buy.

I want to get a backlit reader/tablet, but I'm waiting it out since there are too many complaints about the current crop.

[Ravensknight]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

The only buggy thing I found with the Sony software was with the synch feature, so I simply don't use that part. Everything else works without a hitch. Both last years update & this years update.

But if the customer is a computer illiterate, then yeah there just might be a problem. In which case, either learn how to use a pc or stick with paper.

Or it just might be I jumped into the Ereader market at just the right time.

I NEVER try to be the 1st one on the block to buy new technology, that's just asking to be the ginuea pig for the company. I always wait until they have worked most of the bugs out before I buy.

I want to get a backlit reader/tablet, but I'm waiting it out since there are too many complaints about the current crop.

lucky you [maybe the stars were aligned right?] All I know is that I had a bajillion problems when I got my first 505 and when some kind soul told me about Calibre, I never looked back. [and I consider myself technical enough to wrestle down a rogue network and subdue it, in under 2 days to boot! ]

[Blue Tyson]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

If people are having problems it's probably because they haven't taken the time to read what it is they are supposed to do & followed the instructions.

Or it just doesn't work properly all the time (Digital Editions), which has been my experience. I certainly know what I am doing.

'Taken the time' is just the point, it wastes that amount of time for people continually completely unnecessarily.