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Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM

wired.com

1–10 of 144 posts

Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM

#4
1. How much cost is really involved in keeping up the DRM server in maintenance mode on Azure?

2. Maybe this will give the EFF enough case study to argue (successfully, finally) that the DMCA allows corporations to create rules that violate other existing laws such as the right of first sale.

Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM

#5

> Microsoft will refund customers in full for what they paid, plus an extra $25 if they made annotations or mark-ups. Doesn’t seem all that nefarious. Get your money back, order the paperbacks. No DRM issues again.

It's more a trust issue in a technology. Pirated ebooks don't have DRM and never expire, can be opened on any device and you keep the money anyway.

Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM

#6
post #5

> Microsoft will refund customers in full for what they paid, plus an extra $25 if they made annotations or mark-ups. Doesn’t seem all that nefarious. Get your money back, order the paperbacks. No DRM issues again.

It's more a trust issue in a technology. Pirated ebooks don't have DRM and never expire, can be opened on any device and you keep the money anyway.

Or never buy DRM books to start with.

I own a Kindle, however I only buy ebooks from stores that offer epub and PDF as well. At max with watermarks.

Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM

#7
This isn’t the first time for MS, and certainly not the first time the dark side of DRM has shown itself.

MSN music: https://www.cnet.com/news/defunct-msn-music-has-a-drm-contro...

Zune’s servers shut down in 2017, but at least you could download free MP3 versions of everything. https://www.thurrott.com/music-videos/groove-music/82201/buy...

Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM

#8

> Microsoft will refund customers in full for what they paid, plus an extra $25 if they made annotations or mark-ups. Doesn’t seem all that nefarious. Get your money back, order the paperbacks. No DRM issues again.

This assumes that the paperback exists. It ought to be the responsibility of the vendor to offer either a full refund or a hard copy, at the vendor's expense, including any annotations that were made on the digital copy.

Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM

#10

> Microsoft will refund customers in full for what they paid, plus an extra $25 if they made annotations or mark-ups. Doesn’t seem all that nefarious. Get your money back, order the paperbacks. No DRM issues again.

How dare you take away my right to be outraged at tech giants....
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