I chose to "boycott" Amazon (international DRM problem)

[TheSFReader]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Yes they do. E.g. My version of Kim, which has "Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited" and Penguin's version, which does not.

If you don't see "Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited" in the Product details section at Amazon UK, then it has DRM.

Let's check with that first version of Kim.

At Amazon.co.uk
English -> Unlimited
US -> Unlimited
German -> Gleichzeitige Verwendung von Geräten: Keine Einschränkung (ie Unlimited)
French ???
Italian ???
Spanish ???


Why this difference ?

[HarryT]

Have you asked Amazon? They are the only ones who can answer your question.

[TheSFReader]

Yes, I've asked...
(I now see that my links to my blog posts regarding this issue are not visible on my copy...)
First is the one where I saw the "problem" with Amazon.fr :
http://readingandraytracing.blogspot...different.html

Then I asked (twice) and blogged about the two answers :


First answer :

In answer to your mail, here are some informations about DRMs and ouravailable ebook selection. The publishers choose whether they would like a DRM to be applied on their ebooks.
There are no limits to the number of times a title can be downloaded on a Kindle or Kindle Application. However, there can exist a limit regarding the number of Kindles or Kindle applications on wich a title can be available at the same time (usually 6).
If that limit is less than 6 (bold mine) Kindle or Kindle applications, you'll see the message "Maximum simultaneous devices : up to X depending on the publisher's limits" on the detailed description page on Amazon.fr 's Kindle Store.

After asking a second time, they only answered (in addition to links to the Terms of Service/EULAs) that they had forwarded my comment to the appropriate department.
Lastly, they included an email address (kindle-votre-avis@amazon.fr) where I could send further remarks.



That was before the ES and IT stores opening, so I think now that this decision is indeed a decision and no bug, hence my irritation.

Lastly, Bragelonne (one of our Publishers) had a meeting with Amazon, and got some hand waving leading them to go with DRMs (while their stance so far had been to go without)...
(I'll have to translate that one, sorry...)

So, three times asked about it, three times no answer...

[Daveoc64]

Originally Posted by luqmaninbmore

You can also use Kindle Cloud Reader to read your books on a linux box.

Indeed.

I use the Cloud Reader for my Kindle books on Linux.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by TheSFReader

Yes, I've asked...



So, three times asked about it, three times no answer...

I suspect when you say "Yes, I've asked..." that you really mean to say is; "Yes, I've sent emails with my questions and I get back automatic responses that fail to answer my questions."

The email support system is quite limited in it's abilities to... well... work satisfactorily.

If you are truly interested in having your questions answered, then find a phone number and talk to a human. Anything else is waste of time.

[TheSFReader]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I suspect when you say "Yes, I've asked..." that you really mean to say is; "Yes, I've sent emails with my questions and I get back automatic responses that fail to answer my questions."

The email support system is quite limited in it's abilities to... well... work satisfactorily.

If you are truly interested in having your questions answered, then find a phone number and talk to human. Anything else is waste of time.

Nope, I stand by my writing : It were not automatic answers. (I can forward them if you anderstand French and would like to check). I also had a phone call about it.

I WAS truly interested, and talked to Amazon about it...

But you're right : it TOTALLY WAS a waste of time.

[avantman42]

Originally Posted by R J Askew

But creative work should be paid for should it not? A person who buys a pbook can't give it free so a million people as somone online cld. So surely the little author who wants to make a cent as I do needs some bar on his or her work being simply taken as free to anyone who pays a dollar for it. If an author wants free exposure they simply don't opt for DRM. I salute Amazon for allowing DRM. What is the case against it?

I'm also an independent author, and I too would like to make a few bob. I don't use DRM. I wrote a blog post about the reasons why, partly so that whenever anyone asked why I could simply link to it. So, here it is:
http://russellphillips.wordpress.com...-dont-use-drm/

The main points could probably be summarised as: It annoys legitimate customers while failing to prevent piracy. Given that, why would I use it?

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

That's exactly what the OP means. We in the US and Canada (and probably others, I don't mean to exclude) have a few clues in Amazon's Product Description that will indicate that a book might be DRM free. Those same indicators don't exist at Amazon.fr... or so I'm told.

It's strange that it is inconsistent even on Amazon US. All DRM-free books should say "Unlimited" and yet they do not.

If you don't see "Unlimited" we have to assume there is DRM. I have seen a few authors say no DRM in the book's summary.

[TheSFReader]

Thanks Russel for that perfect explanation... I'll keep your blog's link for future reference.

[avantman42]

Originally Posted by TheSFReader

Thanks Russel for that perfect explanation... I'll keep your blog's link for future reference.

I'm pleased you liked it Feel free to link to it - as I said, one of the reasons I wrote a blog post about it was so that I could point people at it whenever I wanted to explain why I don't like DRM (or why I choose not to use it).

[Morpheus Phreak]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Sorry, but none of this has anything to do with the fact that Sony came out with two eink reader before Amazon so Sony is the one who should get the thanks, not Amazon.

Indeed, it has nothing to do with that, because that wasn't even the point I was addressing.

So thanks for letting me know that the point I wasn't addressing wasn't addressed...now onto the Ministry of Redundancy for their redundant talk regarding the redundancy present in the talks at the Ministry of Redundancy.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

BN, Sony, and Kobo all sell books with DRM. This is just another silly Anti-Amazon rant that means little to nothing. Amazon is following the same practice as every other e-book store out there.

(yawn)

Agreed. In fact, I'm going to buy a Kindle book either today or tomorrow.

[TheSFReader]

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

Agreed. In fact, I'm going to buy a Kindle book either today or tomorrow.

Yes, I agree, apart for some "ideological" problems, and the fact that Kindle Touch is not available in France, I'd have bought it straight away (as I explained on my blog (in French sorry) ... http://readingandraytracing.blogspot...ais-point.html .

[crashed]

My main issue with Amazon is real simple, while I don't care for the closed environment, there is one area that boggles and annoys me to no end - ebook pricing.

Now I know this has to do with publishers as well as Amazon, but IF Amazon is the number 1 ebook retailer in the US (world?), then they should help spur ebook adoption faster by helping to push these book prices down considerably.

I'm sorry, but while I like ereading, I just know it's incredibly cheap to produce over a physical book, so why am I paying close if not the exact same pricing of a hard copy?

This is one area at least Apple had the balls to stand up for when it came to the music industry, it helped them by making them lower their pricing to an acceptable level where anyone doesn't mind paying the price for said music, and entering Apple's ecosystem.

Why Amazon doesn't leverage this, is likely the reason why people prefer other devices where maybe they can find or use other stores to hopefully save some cash, ect.

Someone has to get prices down if anyone in the future wants to get ahead in the ebook business.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by crashed

I'm sorry, but while I like ereading, I just know it's incredibly cheap to produce over a physical book

Since you say "you just know", I assume that you have personal experience of the publishing industry? Almost all the costs of producing a book apply equally to a paper and an eBook. The only thing you don't get with an eBook is the cost of printing, which is a very minor component indeed of the overall cost of producing a book.

I find that most of the eBooks I buy are considerably cheaper than the corresponding paper book - generally they are about 70% or so of the paper book cost. This is a fair price, in my view.