DRM Good or Bad?

[Justin Nemo]

Although I'm a writer and I should be embracing anything that will protect my work, I just can't get my head around Digital Rights Management in the form it has at the moment.

There are several different DRM schemes around. Ebooks with one DRM scheme can’t be read on a device that uses a different DRM scheme. Some DRM schemes limit ebooks to one device only, so if you want to read that ebook on a different device, it’s necessary to download the ebook again. How is that going to help you sell more books? Just google DRM and see how many websites will show you how to remove if from ebooks, so what is the point?

I can see how it can work for music and DVD's, but their systems don't stop you playing the music or watching the DVD on another machine.

[pdurrant]

DRM is just a bad idea for any media.

If you think it works for DVDs, try playing a disk from a different region, or try ripping a DVD for use on your iPod. (Both can be done, of course, but require work-arounds or special software or firmware.)

[Justin Nemo]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

DRM is just a bad idea for any media.

If you think it works for DVDs, try playing a disk from a different region, or try ripping a DVD for use on your iPod. (Both can be done, of course, but require work-arounds or special software or firmware.)

Grand Master Mouse, thanks for your input. I didn't say it worked for DVD's, I said I can see how it would work. For a start, I'm not going to be buying a DVD in Region 2 and then flying all the way across the Atlantic to Region 1 to watch it. If you stay within the country that you bought it, you can play it in any DVD machine.

[Ekaros]

Bad, and useless. DRM doesn't stop pirates, it only hurts legitimate buyers...

[Justin Nemo]

Originally Posted by Ekaros

Bad, and useless. DRM doesn't stop pirates, it only hurts legitimate buyers...

But have you been forced to use it by publishers or against your will?

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by Justin Nemo

But have you been forced to use it by publishers or against your will?

Yes, far too often.

I'm a PC gamer. I can speak for hours on end on how much of a right royal f-ing hassle DRM has been for me as an honest purchaser of PC games. The hoops I have to jump through before I can play my legitimate copy are ridiculous, and don't even get me started on how little help I get from the publishers/developers if the DRM scheme goes glitchy and locks me out of my legitimately purchased game. The publishers' customer support can't even begin to comprehend that their DRM might be faulty, so all requests for help are met with "buy a legitimate copy, you pirate!".

A couple to times I have actually found myself in a situation where my choices were to pirate the game I have purchased (because the DRM prevented me from playing my legal copy) or not play the game at all.

I hate DRM, in case that wasn't obvious.

When it comes to ebooks, my stance is simple: If it has DRM, I won't spend money on it. I'll get freebies form Sony and Amazon, but I will not give them my money. Only publishers that won't stop me from putting the book on any one of the seven eReading-capable devices in my house, and back it up to my Box account, get my money. Simple as that.

[Lazer]

I'm going for the different argument with this. I've just finished my second book. I might have a thousand hours into the nonfiction beast; blood and sweat as the saying goes. There will be two versions. A print copy for about $13 and an ebook for about $7. I don't care if a buyer wants to resell his/her print copy or pass it along for friends to read (one at a time)–or let it collect dust on the shelf. What I don't want is for somebody to put the eBook out virally all over the world–for free–via email. It's my beast, and I want it DRM,d. Who ever buys it from Amazon will be able to retrieve it from their Amazon cloud for as long as they and Amazon are around. What's wrong with that? Don't wanna buy my ebook 'cause you can't email it around? That's OK with me.

As far as which DRM scheme? Both my (ebooks) will be available on Barnes and Noble and Amazon and I really don't think there is a device out there that doesn't cover those two "schemes." Buy it as a Kindle and you can put it on your phone, Kindle, Droid, or iPad. Probably all at the same time.

I can only imagine how much sweat goes into making a video game. If it wasn't for DRM protection would there be motivation to create a quality product? Am I wrong here?

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Lazer

What I don't want is for somebody to put the eBook out virally all over the world–for free–via email. It's my beast, and I want it DRM,d.

Your DRM will not stop this, and it will only slow it down by 20 seconds or so. Ebook DRM only irritates legitimate, paid users.

[Belle2Be]

Yup, what meera said.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by Lazer

I can only imagine how much sweat goes into making a video game. If it wasn't for DRM protection would there be motivation to create a quality product? Am I wrong here?

You are, actually. Practically none of the indie game developer use DRM, since they have limited budgets and have to prioritize what to spend money and time on. And unlike The Big Ones (Acti-Blizzard, EA, Ubisoft, Atari, Namco-Bandai), indie developers rarely make a profit, or even make it at all. They do it anyway, for the same reasons indie authors write.

And some of those indie developers by the way do very well in the end.

[Justin Nemo]

Originally Posted by Lazer

What I don't want is for somebody to put the eBook out virally all over the world–for free–via email. It's my beast, and I want it DRM,d. Who ever buys it from Amazon will be able to retrieve it from their Amazon cloud for as long as they and Amazon are around. What's wrong with that? Don't wanna buy my ebook 'cause you can't email it around? That's OK with me.

When you purchase a paper book, you have the right to sell, resell or lend your copy as you see fit. So why is it not the same for a digital version of the same book?

[ignacio ferrer]

Originally Posted by Justin Nemo

When you purchase a paper book, you have the right to sell, resell or lend your copy as you see fit. So why is it not the same for a digital version of the same book?

Maybe you should copy a book and an ebook - this should give you some insight into the problem ...

[Justin Nemo]

Originally Posted by ignacio ferrer

Maybe you should copy a book and an ebook - this should give you some insight into the problem ...

I'm not talking about copying, that's illegal. I'm talking about lending, giving.

[ignacio ferrer]

Originally Posted by Justin Nemo

I'm not talking about copying, that's illegal. I'm talking about lending, giving.

Yeah, well ...

[Bikeridr]

Originally Posted by Lazer

Don't wanna buy my ebook 'cause you can't email it around? That's OK with me.

Good, then I saved that money

Originally Posted by Lazer

As far as which DRM scheme? Both my (ebooks) will be available on Barnes and Noble and Amazon and I really don't think there is a device out there that doesn't cover those two "schemes." Buy it as a Kindle and you can put it on your phone, Kindle, Droid, or iPad. Probably all at the same time.

See my comment above (note the smiley). Good for you that you will make your book available on several devices.
Norway don't. Since I chose to buy a Kindle, I'm not "allowed" to by Norwegian books (DRM-screwed-up epubs). In short, Norwegian publishers do not want my money. I refuse to by an insanely expensive (US$400) ereader just to read insanely expensive (US$50) Norwegian books. The reason for the high ebook price? D.R.M!