The dark side of physical books: sometimes you buy a book and then you lose it.
Sometimes Barnes & Noble break and enter my house and take off with my bookshelves. Oh wait, nevermind, that's never actually happened.
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Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM
41–50 of 144 posts
Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM
#421. 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.
The right sale doctrine doesn’t apply to products like these; these are licenses to use. If they were first sale doctrine products, you could sell your goods on secondary markets, which you cannot.
The button says buy and purchase. Not rent or lease.
If it was honest and said that I suspect fewer people would buy them. Sorry, license them.
Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
The right sale doctrine doesn’t apply to products like these; these are licenses to use. If they were first sale doctrine products, you could sell your goods on secondary markets, which you cannot.
But did they use the word 'buy' in their online store? Did they list the item as 'book title' instead of 'book title license'? I'm sure there's a "licensed, not sold" line buried somewhere in the EULA, but why would that take precedence over the prominently-displayed "buy"? Is the "buy" a lie? If so, how is a consumer supposed to know which statements are lies and which are not? For all they know, the EULA could be t…
I keep hearing complaints in the US that EU regulations strangle companies, but as a consumer I’m wildly envious. When I vaped, I tried to get a new disposable part in the EU. I had to upgrade my whole mod because the parts on the market in the US were illegal in the EU because they leaked. The US is sold products that force you to buy more “juice” and make messes. And in the EU, the juice flavors must each pass tests to show they’re not harmful. In the US that’s considered an undue burden.
Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM
#44It doesn't make sense to me that eBook retailers can claim they're selling licences to view books, instead of the books themselves. If I were to look for 1984 for a kindle, I'd: 1. Search Amazon for "1984 George Orwell" 2. Select the first option (paperback) 3. See the "Format" selector 4. Select the kindle edition 5. Click "Buy with one-click" Notably, between 4 and 5, reading the entire page gives no indication tha…
Did you pick 1984 because ironically it was once wiped from all kindles?
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18am...
Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Any recommendations for such stores? I know of https://www.downpour.com for audio books and I get all my audio books from them since they are DRM-free. Would love to know of such a service for ebooks, but for fiction.
I contribute to Standard Ebooks that takes PD text (primarily from Gutenberg but also elsewhere) and reformats it with good typography and consistent styling, before re-releasing it as public domain again. We’re coming up to 300 titles now, any problems you find can be fixed with a pull request on github if you want: https://standardebooks.org/
Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM
#46And this is why I only 'buy' eBooks if they're dirt cheap (<$5). Even then if I really enjoy them I'll buy a physical copy.
Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM
#47I mean, honestly this was clear from the moment online stores with DRM'd media started appearing. If it's not stored on your own device in a DRM free format, it can disappear at any time. It's less 'the dark side of DRM', and more simply that DRM requires actively maintained infrastructure. When the business case isn't there to pay for that anymore (or the company goes bust), then what else can one expect?
Engineering has the concept of “fail safe”. It literally means that the failure mode is a safe mode. If the dns of the DRM server can no longer be reached, a fail safe would allow the book to continue to be read.
Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM
#48I think the real issue here is an improper definition of the word “buy” from a truth in advertising perspective. I think if a company says you are “buying” a digital good, then that good than access to that good should be required to be perpetual, irrevocable, available offline, and enable the user to back up to their choice of media.
This doesn't preclude the use of DRM in its entirety but is very close to the experience of buying and owning physical media, which I think meets the common perception of what "buying" means. For companies wanting to use the current DRM paradigm, they should be required to use an alternate, accurate term such as "license."
Of course this is becoming increasingly academic with the rise of subscription services, where I think all parties are aware that content is impermanent and the relationship is defined month to month.
Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM
#49The dark side of physical books: sometimes you buy a book and then you lose it.
> The dark side of physical books: sometimes you buy a book and then you lose it.
The dark side of eBooks: sometimes you buy a book and then you lose the file.
I've lost a LOT more files, than I have books.
Re: Microsoft's eBook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM
#50It doesn't make sense to me that eBook retailers can claim they're selling licences to view books, instead of the books themselves. If I were to look for 1984 for a kindle, I'd: 1. Search Amazon for "1984 George Orwell" 2. Select the first option (paperback) 3. See the "Format" selector 4. Select the kindle edition 5. Click "Buy with one-click" Notably, between 4 and 5, reading the entire page gives no indication tha…
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