All Kobo devices are 'With Offers' devices

[murg]

While looking at the Kobo website Terms and Conditions, I can across the following:

11. Miscellaneous.
.
.
.

With respect to Registered Users who utilize a Kobo eReader device, Kobo reserves the right to display advertisements and offers on your device. These advertisements and offers may be displayed when the device is powered off or in sleep mode, at the bottom of the home screen, as a screensaver, or through other areas in the user interface as Kobo may choose.

I take this to mean that Kobo can turn any of their devices into a 'With Offers' device, by putting ads on the sleep and power off screens.

[Witty Username]

That paragraph is different for my (UK) account so the T&C must vary geographically.

For me it says:

11. Miscellaneous.

Kobo Inc. controls kobobooks.com from its offices within the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Service can be accessed from all provinces and territories of Canada and from other countries around the world. As each of these jurisdictions have laws that may differ from those of the Province of Ontario, by accessing the Service, you agree that all matters relating to access to, or use of, the Service, or any other hyperlinked website, shall be governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. You also agree and hereby submit to the non-exclusive personal jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the Province of Ontario and acknowledge that you do so voluntarily and are responsible for complying with all local laws.

[murg]

Originally Posted by Witty Username

That paragraph is different for my (UK) account so the T&C must vary geographically.

For me it says:

That was the first paragraph of clause 11 (which I replaced with a . . .).

Is there a second and third paragraphs of that clause?

[Witty Username]

No, I copied in entirety everything that appears after the title "11. Miscellaneous".

I even searched for the term 'advertisement' in case it was in a different section but the only reference to advertising was in paragraph 3 and concerns users posting adverts or solicitation of products etc.

[oj829]

Originally Posted by murg

While looking at the Kobo website Terms and Conditions, I can across the following:

I take this to mean that Kobo can turn any of their devices into a 'With Offers' device, by putting ads on the sleep and power off screens.

Perhaps that's boilerplate to cover the fact that they DID market a 'with offers' device at one point, and tried to write something that covered all devices.

Perhaps they're doing a CYA because some suit-happy person might claim that the Kobo bookstore and device recommendations constitute a 'with offers'/advertising situation.

(Frankly, I don't think you have to be suit-happy to use their devices or website or Desktop for a while and decide that you are using a de facto 'with offers' system - it's just that it's for books, not toothpaste and condoms.)

Just my $0.02

[murg]

Originally Posted by oj829

Perhaps that's boilerplate to cover the fact that they DID market a 'with offers' device at one point, and tried to write something that covered all devices.

Perhaps they're doing a CYA because some suit-happy person might claim that the Kobo bookstore and device recommendations constitute a 'with offers'/advertising situation.

(Frankly, I don't think you have to be suit-happy to use their devices or website or Desktop for a while and decide that you are using a de facto 'with offers' system - it's just that it's for books, not toothpaste and condoms.)

Just my $0.02

It goes beyond CYA when it specifically mentions ads on the Sleep and PowerOff screens.

[The Cod Father]

Has someone been able to solve this little kanundrum ??

I really dislike having someone put ads etc that I particularly DON'Twant

TCF

[oj829]

Originally Posted by The Cod Father

Has someone been able to solve this little kanundrum ??

I really dislike having someone put ads etc that I particularly DON'Twant

TCF

One could always put down the intrusive toys and buy a book. I likes my porn as much as the next guy, but I get it in cash from a store. I don't link it to my email address, credit card, and have it sent to me wirelessly. YMMV.

[murg]

I remember paperbacks with ads in the middle of them.

It was an experiment that didn't last long.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by murg

I remember paperbacks with ads in the middle of them.

It was an experiment that didn't last long.

I remember my wife ripping those pages out of some of her romance purchases.

What I miss are the back page advertisements for purchasing books from the publisher in the old Science Fiction and Fantasy books. Those ran into the taxes on inventory making them a losing proposition. Hmmm... makes me wonder what the tax folks think of ebooks? Just how do you count an ebook inventory for tax purposes?

[murg]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I remember my wife ripping those pages out of some of her romance purchases.

What I miss are the back page advertisements for purchasing books from the publisher in the old Science Fiction and Fantasy books. Those ran into the taxes on inventory making them a losing proposition. Hmmm... makes me wonder what the tax folks think of ebooks? Just how do you count an ebook inventory for tax purposes?

Interesting question.

If they approach the subject from the viewpoint of the major copyright holder rights organisations, then clearly they are holding in inventory a copy of the ebook for every person in the geo-region that can potentially purchase the book.

[filmo]

First paper back book I read with Salem ad I ripped it out as a reflex without thinking or pause in reading.

[dakini]

Originally Posted by The Cod Father

Has someone been able to solve this little kanundrum ??

I really dislike having someone put ads etc that I particularly DON'Twant

TCF

i suspect the language of the terms and conditions is just a cya for the "recommendations" they push through the device and the kobo website. those recommendations are essentially tailored advertisements, much like facebook advertising and google trackers advertising ... based on what you say you like/dislike/have read/own, they make recommendations on how to spend your money.

if they decide to get more intrusive than that ... someone will find a hack to disable it.

[azbdsf]

In french we have:

Quant aux Utilisateurs inscrits qui utilisent une liseuse Kobo, Kobo se réserve le droit d'afficher des annonces publicitaires et des offres sur votre liseuse. Ces annonces publicitaires et offres peuvent être affichées lorsque l'appareil est en position « arrêt » ou en mode veille, en bas de l'écran d'accueil, en tant qu'économiseur d'écran, ou situées ailleurs dans l'interface utilisateur au choix de Kobo.

Kobo se réserve le droit de modifier le logiciel de toute liseuse Kobo, y compris les améliorations, corrections de bugs et autres, en tout temps et dans l'entière discrétion de Kobo.

So the same as mentionned by murg.

[mutant_matt]

Originally Posted by dakini

if they decide to get more intrusive than that ... someone will find a hack to disable it.

You could argue that for people who already think it's too intrusive out of the box, that has already been done and is an option...