Is DRM in ebooks a big issue?

[tech_au]

Having no DRM in your ebooks is the best situation that can occur but I am trying to decide whether it is a major issue if ebooks are DRMed.
For music the answer is easy because you listen to purchased music many times over many years on a number of different devices(CD , mp3 player etc) it makes sense to have no DRM.
But for Ebooks, I read it once then delete it from my reader and will probably never read it again. It is the same with paperbacks I used to buy. Throw them in the cupboard after I finished reading them.
Should I really care that I may not be able to redownload it in a few years time?
I reckon I may even consider lower prices for ebooks that perhaps expired 1 year after purchase.

[garygibsonsf]

Most people prefer to keep their books, particularly if the books are a source of constant reference. I like to keep mine, and I suspect my preference is in the majority. In your own case, DRM would presumably be unlikely to cause you any real grief if you're never likely to re-read the books or even keep them.

However, keep in mind that DRM would cause you some grief when it came to your choice of device to read on. Many, many people use MobiDeDrm precisely because it affords the opportunity to 'free' a legal purchase from constraints, so they can then read it in the way they choose.

[Sparrow]

I want as many options as possible, even if I'll never need them.
If the ebook version of a book I have to have had insurmountable DRM, I'd buy the pbook version instead.

[Format C:]

Originally Posted by tech_au

Having no DRM in your ebooks is the best situation that can occur but I am trying to decide whether it is a major issue if ebooks are DRMed.
For music the answer is easy because you listen to purchased music many times over many years on a number of different devices(CD , mp3 player etc) it makes sense to have no DRM.
But for Ebooks, I read it once then delete it from my reader and will probably never read it again. It is the same with paperbacks I used to buy. Throw them in the cupboard after I finished reading them.
Should I really care that I may not be able to redownload it in a few years time?
I reckon I may even consider lower prices for ebooks that perhaps expired 1 year after purchase.

From where I live I cannot buy some american and english e-books, while I can buy paperbacks and have them sent by mail/courier.

I'm very happy about DRM: it gives me the opportunity to a better contribution to the destruction of Earth. If I downloaded that book, I'd have caused less pollution, I'd let less dangerous chemicals in the environment, and - God forgive me - I'd kept a tree alive....

[Ea]

I may need to be able to read the book on several devices, which may not support the particular DRM.

I re-read. If the bookseller stops support for the DRM, I might not be able to re-download the book later if I buy a new device.

The application on my device that displays the DRM'd file, may not support my needs/wants for a particular font or display setting.

Applications and file format support for DRM'd files are, to say the least, very varied on different devices.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by tech_au

But for Ebooks, I read it once then delete it from my reader and will probably never read it again. It is the same with paperbacks I used to buy. Throw them in the cupboard after I finished reading them.
Should I really care that I may not be able to redownload it in a few years time?
I reckon I may even consider lower prices for ebooks that perhaps expired 1 year after purchase.

Even if you do not reread books there is a problem. Books are not available forever so if you in the future want to read a book you have to buy it now. And for me at least it is not uncommon at all that it takes years (sometime 10 year or more) to get to a book.

That is a contributing reason why I do not buy DRM:ed books.

[Lemurion]

Yes DRM is a big issue, because not all devices support all formats. The only DRM format the iPhone supports is eReader, but no current Eink device supports that format. DRM is how they enforce kindle-exclusive books. (While I don't mind Amazon being the sole seller of a specific title - at least for a limited period - I get extremely furious about the limitations to what I can read the books on.)

DRM is like saying you can only watch movies on a TV you bought at Target, not one you bought at Wal-Mart; or if you want to read our book you have to use our glasses.

I think it's disgusting.

[bill_mchale]

Originally Posted by tech_au

Having no DRM in your ebooks is the best situation that can occur but I am trying to decide whether it is a major issue if ebooks are DRMed.
For music the answer is easy because you listen to purchased music many times over many years on a number of different devices(CD , mp3 player etc) it makes sense to have no DRM.
But for Ebooks, I read it once then delete it from my reader and will probably never read it again. It is the same with paperbacks I used to buy. Throw them in the cupboard after I finished reading them.
Should I really care that I may not be able to redownload it in a few years time?
I reckon I may even consider lower prices for ebooks that perhaps expired 1 year after purchase.

I agree that most books are a read once, but never again kind of thing. That being said, there are old favorites that I return too every few years. They becomes like old friends; some are just a fun read, others remind me of youth and still others inspire me. Now most of those I have in paper format... but you never know when you will find a new one. 10 years after purchasing a book, I want to know I will still be able to read it.

And in any case, there is the basic principle of it essentially interfering with my rights Darn it. I understand the issues of not giving away an ebook... But beyond that, it is mine darn it... I should be able to read it where and how I want. On Jetbook, on my computer or iPod Touch and on whatever other book reader I have 10 years from now.

--
Bill

[pepak]

Originally Posted by tech_au

Having no DRM in your ebooks is the best situation that can occur but I am trying to decide whether it is a major issue if ebooks are DRMed.

For me, it is a major issue: I will never buy a DRMed content as long as there is a no-DRM version available. It doesn't matter if I pay more (e.g. hunt for a rare CD on eBay) or have to do more work (e.g. scan a paper book) - as long as there is an alternative, DRMed version is a no-go for me.

[Penforhire]

I suppose if you are a read-once sort of person then DRM will cause you little if any harm. I can't claim to read many books multiple times but I still figure I bought the e-book, not the right to read it once or just on a particular device. I might have a different opinion if I paid a small fraction of the usual e-book price or had a subscription service like Rhapsody is for music (still think that's the future). But I don't. I pay the whole nine yards, so to speak.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

I might have a different opinion if I paid a small fraction of the usual e-book price or had a subscription service like Rhapsody is for music (still think that's the future). But I don't. I pay the whole nine yards, so to speak.

I agree, paying 1€ for the right to read a book once on a single device might be OK, but paying 6-10€ should give you the right to keep it and read it as many times as you like.

[DixieGal]

I despise DRM and formats also. I bought a book from a seller who charged me a foreign transaction fee because I'm US and they are AUS. I chose PDF for the download, since I am pretty talented at manipulating that format. Not that time!

Prob 1: I downloaded it to my work PC. Turned out it could only be on one single device.

Prob 2: It had an expiration date. As it was on my work computer, I could only read it during slow times. The 3 month time limit passed before I finished it.

So I paid full price + fee for a book that I could not carry with me, and which disappeared leaving only an icon to show it ever existed.

I will be so freakin' glad when a single non-DRM format rises to the top of the mobile reading device pile.

[pdurrant]

I want to keep all my ebooks. That means no DRM or stripping the DRM.

If I didn't want to keep the ebooks, I'd look into library membership.

Originally Posted by tech_au

Having no DRM in your ebooks is the best situation that can occur but I am trying to decide whether it is a major issue if ebooks are DRMed.
For music the answer is easy because you listen to purchased music many times over many years on a number of different devices(CD , mp3 player etc) it makes sense to have no DRM.
But for Ebooks, I read it once then delete it from my reader and will probably never read it again. It is the same with paperbacks I used to buy. Throw them in the cupboard after I finished reading them.
Should I really care that I may not be able to redownload it in a few years time?
I reckon I may even consider lower prices for ebooks that perhaps expired 1 year after purchase.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

I agree that most books are a read once, but never again kind of thing.

With Kimmy and I, this is almost never true.

We buy books by authors we like, and reread the old ones again when sequels come out.

[Enraptured]

I don't reread all my books (and I don't keep all my paper books, or I'd be overrun!), but I don't know whether I'll want to reread a book until after I'm done reading it the first time. Not all ebooks are books I'd want to keep forever, but I want to have the choice.