Would you be e-reading if DRM was unbreakable?

[Katsunami]

It's a simple question. Most people here at MobileRead don't think twice about removing DRM from ebooks, about converting the books to a different format for a different reader, or about fixing a book (even if it's only putting a new cover into it).

Now, suppose that a way was found to create an unbreakable DRM. If this could be done, it would mean that books:

- cannot be converted from Kindle AZW3/Mobi to EPUB or vice versa.
- cannot be fixed. If something is broken, it'll stay that way.
- cannot be changed to fit your tastes (embedded fonts, etc...)
- Have to be used with something like ADE, or Kindle for PC.
- Are much less future proof.

If unbreakable DRM could be used and the publishers did so, what would you do?

(edit: If possible, a mod could add "I don't care about DRM" to the poll, but I don't think it'd get many votes here...)

[tempura]

Well I would go back to reading paperbacks, unless i actually buy the DRMed versions when I go on vacation.

[Katsunami]

I for one, would stop buying mainstream, DRM-ed books and would only use my e-reader for non-DRM-ed books. I don't know if I would go back to reading paperbacks; there would be a very big chance that I'd just drop all the mainstream publishers and titles. I've been known to radically turn my back on something if something happens that irks me too much.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

- To hell with e-reading. Back to paper!

This would likely be my response for the majority of my reading.


I only really got into things in 2007 when I was sure I'd be able to buy books and convert them to various formats, in this case thanks to ConvertLit and the LIT format. If LIT format wasn't already broken and convertible (& extractable to HTML) I would likely have never purchased a Sony PRS-505 and gone almost straight to all digital.

For some I suspect it wouldn't matter, but for someone like me who's a big re-reader it's essential. Not only so that I can read on whatever device I want now & in the future, but also to be able to fix the various errors one might encounter in the books.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

(edit: If possible, a mod could add "I don't care about DRM" to the poll, but I don't think it'd get many votes here...)

Well, you do need some kind of "I'd still be ereading & buying DRM'd ebooks" answer because the other three all assume that one stops buying DRM'd ebooks.

In my case, the only thing that might be different is I would not have switched from a Kindle to epub readers. The overwhelming majority of my ebooks come from Amazon.

In early days I might have gone back to paper, but now? No way.

[Barbara1955]

Actually since I learned to remove DRM I purchased MORE ebooks! I get them from Amazon & Sony.

[calvin-c]

And where's the option that I'd still read ebooks DRM or not? Poll is worthless, very biased.

I was reading ebooks for close to 3 years before I stumbled across Mobileread and learned about deDRM'ing. I *was* choosy about where I bought them-most of mine came from Fictionwise which had ways to handle device changes. (MobiPocket PID could be changed, eReader used credit card info, etc.) So DRM was inconvenient but not a show-stopper. What stopped me was the publishers forcing sellers to raise prices.

If unbreakable DRM was developed whether or not I continued buying DRM'd ebooks would depend on 1) would the sellers again raise prices? and 2) would there be a way to read the books on different devices without re-purchasing them? Assuming the answers are no & yes then I would probably continue buying & reading DRM'd books. I might not be happy about it but that's because I don't trust businesses to continue doing customer-friendly things. Once they've got customers locked in they tend to gouge them for all they're worth.

[RodMyers]

I would not be using my nexus 7. I'd purchase paperback first, then hardback if that was all that was available

[DiapDealer]

I'd probably bitch for a while and then go right on buying/reading them.

But there's no such thing as "unbreakable" DRM. Just DRM that hasn't been broken yet.

[tubemonkey]

I wouldn't care. I have a Kindle and read library books, public domain, and free Kindle books. It's extremely rare when I use my own money to buy an ebook.

[elemenoP]

Your original question is "Would you be e-reading if DRM was unbreakable?" My answer is YES but there is no option for that in the poll.

eP

[HomeInMyShoes]

My reading would probably stay the same. I base my choice of the format I read on accessibility and price. If the library has it, it is my first choice, if it is a work book then I buy paper, in all other cases I pick based on how I want to read. I buy more ebooks in the summer when I don't have to subject my e-reader to constant freeze-thaw cycles.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

(edit: If possible, a mod could add "I don't care about DRM" to the poll, but I don't think it'd get many votes here...)

There's my vote

[Synamon]

I likely would not buy many ebooks if DRM weren't breakable, so I'd go back to what I did before I discovered Apprentice Alf and I'd read public domain, library books, and any pirated scanned and OCR copies that I could get my hands on.

[susan_cassidy]

I would still keep reading ebooks from Amazon. I would prefer that the DRM be removable, but it wouldn't kill me if it wasn't. I have several Kindles, and Kindle apps, so I can read just about anywhere, so it really doesn't mattter to me.