DRM Good or Bad?

[frahse]

Originally Posted by frahse

Do you really not understand what you are asking/saying?

Originally Posted by no.guru

It's nice to see you remaining on this thread and taking the heat. (By the way, thanks for the K.)

Let me rephrase what I asked here: How does it harm you as an author for another author to give away their works?

Originally Posted by no.guru

When I asked the first time (post #463), I copied and pasted your text and added "How do" and "?" to make it a question. You didn't respond.

I reworded it (post #484), and now you say my question isn't phrased correctly, and the answer is obvious and trivial.

Now I understand why you're only an occasional author.

Originally Posted by no.guru

He/she isn't interested in helping the thread or in honest and open debate,

Actually I rethought my position, and came back to answer your question directly, but I see that you have crossed over the civility line and in fact have entered into the "all in a huff" stage.

Regardless, I will answer your question ("How does it harm you as an author for another author to give away their works?") by posing an example.

I set up my lemonade stand and post a small sign indicating a price of "25 cents per cup". Mom told me that if I can sell 100 cups which the lemonade mix will make, then after the expense of the lemonade mix and cups, I will make 15 dollars and be able to purchase a nice birthday present for my dad.

Another stand goes up close by and at that stand someone more interested in a life's experience has a sign saying "10 cents a cup."

Then a third stand goes up and someone with an eye toward fun, and beating the competition has a sign saying "Free Lemonade."

Do you understand now?

[frahse]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Even though I think that Frahse is shooting himself in the foot, I think everything that can be said in this context has been said, several times over. Time to agree to disagree and move on before things get nasty.

Have a free cup of lemonade. It seems I have at least a 100 left over.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by frahse

It is a limited time and resources matter.

Uhm, yeah... how does it take less time to quote me and write something instead of ignoring my post completely, which you did before?

I don't answer to all of the postings in this thread and quote them in full just to say "agree" or "disagree". All that would possibly do is annoy people who follow the thread.

Also you can't disagree on me thinking it to be sad that I can't actively avoid your books. It's what I think (and feel), and whatever you think or feel about it, it will not change anything.

And disagreeing on "enough people are honest"... well... no sense to argue with you any further if that's what you think.

Hope they handcuff you when entering a store and search you when leaving... for your own good and that of society. You know: no one can be trusted.

And now you compare books to lemonade? Well, yes... if your book is the same as any other book on the market, you're right. Then I'd get the free version (or the free lemonade).

But if the free lemonade tastes like dishwater and the 10 cent lemonade tastes like a drop of artificial flavour in a glass of lukewarm water but your 25 cent lemonade is cool, will taste fresh and is simply superiour to the others, I will buy your 25 cent lemonade.

The same goes for books.

I've downloaded a load of free ebooks, but have read only one so far (a "book" of 27 pages). All of the other books I've read, I've bought... And getting the free books didn't stop me from buying others which did interest me more.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

.... Time to agree to disagree and move on before .....

Wait, I figured it out! http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0418135350.htm

[no.guru]

Originally Posted by frahse

I set up my lemonade stand ..."

Do you understand now?

A book is a book is a book, and competition is bad. Got it. /s

Thanks for the thread, folks.

[Justin Nemo]

Originally Posted by no.guru

A book is a book is a book, and competition is bad. Got it.

Thanks for the thread, folks.

Competition is bad?

[frahse]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Wait, I figured it out! http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0418135350.htm

That is actually very good.

[Freeshadow]

Were you thinking so, you wouldn't insist on punishing the buyers

[frahse]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Were you thinking so, you wouldn't insist on punishing the buyers

No one is punished.

We offer hardbound and paper-bound books and eBooks with DRM and accept a variety of payment forms in most currencies.

It is your choice to take up our offer or not.

[Justin Nemo]

Originally Posted by frahse

No one is punished.

We offer hardbound and paper-bound books and eBooks with DRM and accept a variety of payment forms in most currencies.

It is your choice to take up our offer or not.

But you don't offer the choice of ebooks without DRM.

[frahse]

Originally Posted by Justin Nemo

But you don't offer the choice of ebooks without DRM.

Suppose you could buy my eBook
"OP 43, The Paganini Strike" for $9.99 with DRM at Amazon or
for $14.99 without DRM at Amazon.

Would you be happy?

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by frahse

Suppose you could buy my eBook
"OP 43, The Paganini Strike" for $9.99 with DRM at Amazon or
for $14.99 without DRM at Amazon.

Would you be happy?

So are you Benjamin Lee then?

[frahse]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

So are you Benjamin Lee then?

If I must be someone, then let me be he:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVLm_HU-9fw

[Justin Nemo]

Originally Posted by frahse

Suppose you could buy my eBook
"OP 43, The Paganini Strike" for $9.99 with DRM at Amazon or
for $14.99 without DRM at Amazon.

Would you be happy?

No, because I wouldn't read that rubbish.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by ApK

Evidence that it doesn't work exists in the form of all the pirated copies of DRM protected books, which are easy to find.
Also in the existence of stripped books for non-infringing uses like backup or space shifting.
Also in the existence of people who refuse to buy DRMed books.

However, I was not referring to evidence that DRM doesn't work, I was referring to evidence that is neither required nor needed for the good of the authors. Saying that it works because "it's not inhibiting the majority sales" is like saying that my hyena-repellent necklace works because there are no hyenas in my suburban NJ neighborhood.

In other words, that's no evidence at all. There is no evidence I can see that DRM has protected or brought in a single dollar that wouldn't have come in without DRM as well. And I don't mean proof, I just mean some reasonable evidence. Do you know of any?

We can guess that some sales may have been saved by some folks who could not get their hands on a free copy because they didn't know how to strip DRM, but if we're guessing, we'd also have to subtract from those sales the guesses of LOST sales from anti-DRM folks who may have bought it if it didn't have DRM. And that's just in dollar values, not in goodwill and convenience to consumers.

Sorry to respond late.
From your post I got the impression that you had evidence that it (DRM)doesn't work. Evidence based on more than opinions, surmises or likes and dislikes.

Originally Posted by ApK

My problem with frahse's position, and I'm sure he does echo the opinion of many, is where is the evidence that DRM helps in this way? What is that belief founded on? I just don't see it. I see evidence that it DOESN'T work.

ApK

I agree that DRM does not stop piracy. Probably does not even slow it down a smidge. Book piracy has been pretty common for a long time, long before the internet was commonly used.

I do think it slows down casual file sharing between strangers.

My evidence is no more concrete than yours. It is based on the amount of people who complain about DRM in a bitter manner (not yourself, but those who refer to it as a disease or infestation when it is clearly not either as it doesn't spread from one book to the next) or feel that it infringes their traditional rights/priveledges with paper books.

For example:
You cannot resell an ebook:
I have heard that some stores will buy back ebooks at a better price percenatge than used book stores? And in many communities their are no used book stores so not a right really.

You cannot let your family read your book:
Of course you can, just trade readers for a bit. I do it with my mother all the time.

You cannot read it on another device:
Well that is just silly as you can read Amazon/Adobe DRM books/etc. on most tablets, PCs and pretty well any ereader that can be rooted. And you don't have to chop of their spines and scan them.

As I said before, I do not think DRM enhances sales in that many people say this book has no DRM so I will not buy it, but I think that the percentage of people put off by DRM is pretty low in the general population. And most will buy it anyway if it is what they want.

Helen