Amazon and DRM changes

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by Ma'am-I-Am

Doing so could also set a precedent for other companies (ereaders or not) to do the same or similar. No, I'm not a conspiracy theorist; I just have no trust in companies or corporations and with everything being digital they have/will have more control over the consumer and the products we use. If I can think of dirty pool now, they already have. They're just waiting for a legal-ish way to implement.

Is something I've also thought about. A lot of sites use Adobe Digital Editions as DRM. But if they move to something more proprietary

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Lys

I don't know if it was the same before, but I just checked on my Amazon account and the books I got with Prime Reading have no download and transfer through USB option either. All other books I bought in the past still have the option.

As far as I can see, Prime Reading books (if published before Jan 3rd) can still be downloaded through Kindle4PC 1.17

Prime Reading is just a subset of Kindle Unlimited. So books borrowed either way have no "download & transfer" option any more.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Yes, an old device. You can do that. Sometimes old devices can be hard to come by, and if they are expensive (in your or my market) it might not be a financial viable option. If you didn't already have an old Kindle, would you buy it knowing you will never actually use it?

Back when KFX first came to Kindle for PC, I got a cheap refurbished Kindle Touch as a backup for being able to get decryptable books and have never really used it. I recently dug it out to see if it would still charge up. If it hadn't, I wouldn't have bothered trying to get one now. Sooner or later it will die or Amazon will finally cut it off.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Unseen Entities

The Kindle cloud reader plus an AutoHotKey click script would be a whole lot easier lol.

Actually reading it with an Amazon app or device (which is at least occasionally connected) is even easier and far more likely to support the author/publisher.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by issybird

Amazon’s already offered significant sweeteners to trade up to a newer device to owners of the oldest devices. At this point, it must be a very small percentage of Kindle owners of old devices who never traded up and who still use their device (as far as Amazon knows, i.e., because it phones home occasionally). I’m no Amazon apologist and I’m finding the squeezing the nickels these days to be annoying just like everyone else, but I don’t think Amazon “owes” the ancient device owners more than it’s already done for them.

B&N completely cut off their oldest Nooks. Hasn't Amazon cut off shopping directly on their oldest Kindles? (I never shop on any ereader anyway.) I wouldn't be at all surprised if they cut them off entirely at some point.

And as far as cracking down on KU goes, that’s something Amazon’s doing to keep the authors happy; Amazon gets its money no matter how it’s allocated.

Yes, I think it goes hand in hand with their change in ebook return policy. Which was also making authors unhappy when people exploited it.

[Unseen Entities]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Actually reading it with an Amazon app or device (which is at least occasionally connected) is even easier and far more likely to support the author/publisher.

Obviously, but in the context of someone wanting to read a title outside the device ecosystem or on a never-connected device its the next best way to still support the author. You dont even really need to know how to script AHK, just find a decent script someone else has written and lower the number to roughly human reading speed or use a free GUI clicker.

Personally if I was limited to reading on a computer K4PC would not be my first choice, and the awful kindle cloud reader would certainly be my last.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by jhowell

All indications are that Amazon wants Kindle books to be read using Kindle apps and devices. As long as their telemetry tells them that those devices are still mainly being used for reading then Amazon has incentive to keep supporting them. If instead a significant use appears to be for downloading without reading, implying book extraction by the customer, then Amazon will be less inclined to keep them going.

Well, the revenue stream is selling books (1) and also Kindle Unlimited subscription (2). Not apps at all as they are free, and not much from eink Kindles (maybe none on some).

1:
Developing Apps are cost to selling books. The app is free.
Hardware Kindles are negligible income compared to selling books and the Basic with Adverts maybe no profit at all.

DRM and limiting to only Kindle App and Kindle eink limits sales.

There is no reason to ever cut off older mobi only Kindles or Kindles that can't do KFX.


2:
Kindle Unlimited is a subscription system, part library and part sales. Logically that should use DRM. Because of the DRM it needs the Kindle App or Kindle eink.

It would be logical that eventually only Kindles with KFX will work with KU. It's amazing they didn't block old apps that can't do current KFX a lot sooner. I guess waiting for number of XP users to fall to low level as it can't install later K4PC versions.


Finally
Most people don't use Download to PC and copy via PC. People here are not typical. Also some people object to WiFi (few people have models that use 2G/3G/4G mobile/cell). Some institutions don't allow WiFi.
WiFi (or Mobile/Cell) is only needed for KU and only because of the stupid way it works.


KU / KDP Select Operation and suggested changes:
Amazon gets terms that no library gets.
(A) They get their "library" books free (other libraries buy at price set by publisher and in some countries pay a per loan royalty.).
(B) Amazon decides on a pot to share out to authors/publishers on KU and pays per page read (requiring abuse of privacy and WiFi/Mobile).
(C) They also demand smaller publishers or authors on KDP be exclusive for KDP Select (KU to customer). This only benefits Amazon. Both authors and consumers would benefit from non-exclusive.
(D) They also sign up authors outside of KDP and publish ebooks and paper via their own publishing company. They won't supply these to libraries because libraries compete (often free) with Kindle Unlimited subscription loans. The ebooks on KU via KDP Select also are never in libraries, only bigger publishers.

Solutions to KU.
(A). Publisher/Author set price to Amazon for KU with limit of 70% of regular price. This is reduced by 0.5% for every page less than 200 pages. Amazon pays this to put ebook in KU at all. Amazon pays also 30c per loan to author (Like UK & Ireland library royalty scheme).
(B) Pot decided by Amazon is abolished. Download & transfer via PC can be used for ereaders & apps that use KFX DRM. No more monitoring of page turns. Author gets money no matter what consumer does, like real libraries.
(C) The exclusivity is going to get banned in some countries. It's only helping Amazon's near monopoly and of ZERO advantage to authors or consumers. Ending it will make NO difference to KU. Big publishers aren't exclusive. Ending it won't affect author income on Amazon and will let authors get income from Apple, Google, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords/D2D, Kobo etc.
(D) This is variation of C. It's to make KU be the only library eventually when Amazon is the only publisher.

[Quoth]

Amazon has bigger ambitions than people only reading Kindle ebooks on Kindle platform. Ambition is to be the only source for ebooks and paper books (in English first).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Is something I've also thought about. A lot of sites use Adobe Digital Editions as DRM. But if they move to something more proprietary

If they did that, sales would tank. We have devices/software that handles ADE DRM. But Our devices/programs won't handle a new DRM. So switching DRM would be a killer for the shops.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Well, once they do that, they will lose customers.

I don't know if you noticed but ebooks hasn't been the core-business of Amazon for quite some time. Losing all of their ebook business probably wouldn't make a dent in their earnings.

[John F]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

I don't know if you noticed but ebooks hasn't been the core-business of Amazon for quite some time. Losing all of their ebook business probably wouldn't make a dent in their earnings.

Maybe, but $7,840,000,000 in revenue is nothing to sneeze at.

https://wordsrated.com/amazon-book-sales-statistics/

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If they did that, sales would tank. We have devices/software that handles ADE DRM. But Our devices/programs won't handle a new DRM. So switching DRM would be a killer for the shops.

Certainly it would take time. Newer devices and firmware would support new DRM and they would replace older devices over time. Just like with Amazon.

I doubt it will happen. The other major e-book sellers appear to be less interested in having secure DRM than Amazon. At this point they would probably do away with it entirely to save money if the publishers would let them.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Unseen Entities

Obviously, but in the context of someone wanting to read a title outside the device ecosystem or on a never-connected device its the next best way to still support the author. You dont even really need to know how to script AHK, just find a decent script someone else has written and lower the number to roughly human reading speed or use a free GUI clicker.

Personally if I was limited to reading on a computer K4PC would not be my first choice, and the awful kindle cloud reader would certainly be my last.

Personally I wouldn't subscribe to KU if I didn't have an e-ink Kindle, but plenty of people read on their phones/tablets with the Kindle mobile apps. I just buy the book if I want to read it on my Kobo.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

I don't know if you noticed but ebooks hasn't been the core-business of Amazon for quite some time. Losing all of their ebook business probably wouldn't make a dent in their earnings.

That was in reference to the ebook sellers who use Adobe DRM.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

Personally I wouldn't subscribe to KU if I didn't have an e-ink Kindle, but plenty of people read on their phones/tablets with the Kindle mobile apps. I just buy the book if I want to read it on my Kobo.

Yeah, I agree. If I wanted to watch movies on an old dumb TV with a DVD player, a streaming service probably isn't right for me.