DR1000 Adobe ePub Support

[Shaggy]

I'd like to restate at this time:

Exclusive licensing terms for eBook formats are ridiculous.

[tjdean256]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

I'd like to restate at this time:

Exclusive licensing terms for eBook formats are ridiculous.

I agree. It would seem to be that since Adobe is so dominant, this exclusive deal of Mobipocket is suicide

td

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Gwaihir

I'm quite surprised Adobe and Mobipocket are allowed to demand this ridiculous exclusiveness. Isn't this just like the "but then don't sell AMD stuff please" that got Intel in trouble?

I think you have it a bit incorrect here. The way it goes is that Mobipocket has said that they are to be the only DRM format on a reader. So in order to have ADE on board, Mobipocket has to go. Mobipocket had the opportunity to really take over when Sony wanted to add Mobipocket to their readers. But because of their stupidity, they said no. So Sony went with ADE and that was the start of ePub's rise to power. And now you'll find most readers will be supporting ePub via ADE.

[Matthijs]

Originally Posted by Shaggy

Here's some further details I've gotten (some of this is from iRex, some is my own speculation based on what they said).
*snip*

That is a good summary of the situation. I'm sure you understand we would have liked it to be different.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by Matthijs

That is a good summary of the situation. I'm sure you understand we would have liked it to be different.

Yeah, it pretty much looks like your hands are tied based on the Mobipocket license. It still baffles me why they would put those terms in there. As someone else said, Mobipocket is basically committing suicide with the insistence on exclusivity.

[Warriah]

Who is so smart to call for an exclusive policy in his start-up moment when he's facing with a monopolist? O.M.G.

[timezone]

I am almost surprised to see how little this issue is causing people to speak out. We all have dozens or more Mobipocket books that will be lost.

We can keep the old ROM. All well and good if you don't want any new upgrades. Wait!!!!! Anyone consider this probably means only this reader. When we all want to jump to the color reader do you really think you can bring over the old ROM? I don't think so. This fix from iRex is to alleviate the issue of implied usage. When we purchased this reader there was an implied agreement that we can continue to read Mobipocket books. If not one might argue we were damaged by this change. While the argument can extend to the next reader this agrument becomes a bit weaker.

Now we all drank the cool aid. It is 2010 or is it 2011 and we have our spanking new color reader. We bought into the epub change and now have an even larger ebub library than the old Mobipocket one. Shaazam, iRex and Amazon make up. They are best friends and all is forgiven. We receive a message from iRex, We are happy to inform you that we will now be supporting Mobipocket. I do believe epub has the same exclusive agreement. So now we are again at a loss. Who is to say this epub change is the end of this issue. This is just the beginning.

Call your Congressmen, Amazon, Adobe, iRex and tell them tge DRM exclusive deals are not acceptable. This is not antitrust because we cannot prove there are any backroom deals to push out Amazon or Adobe. iRex also doesn't have the marketshare to alter the landscape. It does fall under consumer affairs. Speak up because our voices do count even though at times it appears not to be the case.


I said it before. MobileRead unlike mobile phone forums or others really stands alone. They have power to be a voice for us. Where is MobileRead? Wakeup MobileRead and flex some muscle.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by timezone

I am almost surprised to see how little this issue is causing people to speak out. We all have dozens or more Mobipocket books that will be lost.

If you buy DRMed books you know this will happen sooner or later. So the problem is that people buy DRMed books and in that way support a system that is broken.

[timezone]

Originally Posted by tompe

If you buy DRMed books you know this will happen sooner or later. So the problem is that people buy DRMed books and in that way support a system that is broken.

I am sorry that is not an acceptable answer. That is like saying if you eat food it is going to cost money. Yes, you can grow your own food but often impracticable and still costs money We all have to eat.

We can buy books that are not DRM but for the most part the industry has forced our hand. Unless you just read the classics then we are locked out of a large catalog of choices if we choose the non-DRM route.

Another choice is to buy physical books and leave the world of electrons but even this choice will become a limited choice in the future. Why not have a voice when it still may count. Why opt out when we can step up and be heard.

[timezone]

This is big because the issue has to do with being able to purchase a library with the expectation we can own it for the rest of our lives. Are we going to be forced to continually buy previously purchased books in order to maintain a library? Not sure most of us want to be in this predicament.

[tompe]

Of course paper books will not be a limited choice if they only sell DRMed ebooks and nobody is buying them.

You can also download ebooks without DRM from the darknet.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by timezone

I do believe epub has the same exclusive agreement.

You believe wrongly - it does not. Look, for example, at the Sony Reader, which supports both ePub and Sony's own BBeB DRM systems.

[timezone]

Or everyone will move to a kindle with the expectation the library will always be there for kindle users. Maybe the exclusive Mobipocket is genious. Most people don't associate it with Amazon. People lose a few dozen books every few years from DRM changes and then they give up and buy a Kindle.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by timezone

This is big because the issue has to do with being able to purchase a library with the expectation we can own it for the rest of our lives. Are we going to be forced to continually buy previously purchased books in order to maintain a library? Not sure most of us want to be in this predicament.

I do not believe there is any DRM system now were you can have that expectation. Electronic devices breaks down and you cannot be sure that in 50 years you will be able to read your DRMed books on a new device.

[timezone]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You believe wrongly - it does not. Look, for example, at the Sony Reader, which supports both ePub and Sony's own BBeB DRM systems.

There was something on the iRex site that gave me the impression there is an exclusive use agreement with epub. Even accepting the fact that I am wrong does not mean Adobe can't come back later and force iRex into such an agreement if Amazon changes their tune.

My original point is still valid. We, the consumer, are going to be pushed around and we will continue to lose multiple investments in our libraires. I already lost three books on Fictionwise because of their issue a year or so ago with a publisher.