Ebooks Purchased from Microsoft Deleted April 2019 as DRM Servers Shutdown
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Re: Ebooks Purchased from Microsoft Deleted April 2019 as DRM Servers Shutdown
#2Summarizes https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4497396/books-in-mi...
The books category is closing
Starting April 2, 2019, the books category in Microsoft Store will be closing. Unfortunately, this means that starting July 2019 your ebooks will no longer be available to read, but you'll get a full refund for all book purchases. See below for details.
While you can no longer purchase or acquire additional books from the Microsoft Store, you can continue to read your books until July 2019 when refunds will be processed. Will I be able to buy, rent or pre-order books after April 2, 2019?
No. On April 2, 2019, you can no longer buy, rent or pre-order books. You can continue to use Microsoft Edge to read books you've acquired until early July 2019. What happens to books I've pre-ordered with delivery after April 2, 2019?
Your pre-order will be cancelled, and you will not be charged for the purchase. We recommend you pre-order at another digital book store. How do I get my refund?
Refund processing for eligible customers start rolling out automatically in early July 2019 to your original payment method. If your original payment method is no longer valid and on file with us, you will receive a credit back to your Microsoft account for use online in Microsoft Store.
Re: Ebooks Purchased from Microsoft Deleted April 2019 as DRM Servers Shutdown
#3Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20297331
Re: Ebooks Purchased from Microsoft Deleted April 2019 as DRM Servers Shutdown
#4Amazing. Glad I have paper books.
Re: Ebooks Purchased from Microsoft Deleted April 2019 as DRM Servers Shutdown
#5Summarizes https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4497396/books-in-mi... The books category is closing Starting April 2, 2019, the books category in Microsoft Store will be closing. Unfortunately, this means that starting July 2019 your ebooks will no longer be available to read, but you'll get a full refund for all book purchases. See below for details. While you can no longer purchase or acquire additional books…
This seems about as good as can be expected for shuttering a digital store. There have been plenty of others that have not closed with such generous terms (any Plays For Sure™ store, Nintendo Virtual Console, etc.).
For years I've thought that there needs to be precedent for the right of first sale extending to digital purchases, which would help in these situations. As a licensee of a digital work, format shifting should be supported whenever a DRM'd marketplace like this needs to close. Consumers should be provided decryption keys as necessary when a company terminates required DRM servers. Perhaps they can be held in escrow and publicly released for some pre-determined period that overlaps with the final days of the service.
I'm glad these customers have been "made whole" (minus inflation), but it's really not Microsoft's place to be able to claw back an item a person has in their possession. It doesn't apply to physical books, why should it apply just because the medium has changed?
Re: Ebooks Purchased from Microsoft Deleted April 2019 as DRM Servers Shutdown
#6Hopefully people will finally learn their lesson about buying DRMed stuff....
but I doubt it.
Re: Ebooks Purchased from Microsoft Deleted April 2019 as DRM Servers Shutdown
#7Hopefully people will finally learn their lesson about buying DRMed stuff.... but I doubt it.
And even once they’ve “learned their lesson” what do you propose they purchase instead? The non-DRM alternatives are often no where near as convenient, if they’re available at all.
Re: Ebooks Purchased from Microsoft Deleted April 2019 as DRM Servers Shutdown
#8Summarizes https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4497396/books-in-mi... The books category is closing Starting April 2, 2019, the books category in Microsoft Store will be closing. Unfortunately, this means that starting July 2019 your ebooks will no longer be available to read, but you'll get a full refund for all book purchases. See below for details. While you can no longer purchase or acquire additional books…
This seems about as good as can be expected for shuttering a digital store. There have been plenty of others that have not closed with such generous terms (any Plays For Sure™ store, Nintendo Virtual Console, etc.). For years I've thought that there needs to be precedent for the right of first sale extending to digital purchases, which would help in these situations. As a licensee of a digital work, format shifting s…
Digital rights management is the only application I can think of that stands to benefit from blockchain. (Other than money laundering, of course.)
Re: Ebooks Purchased from Microsoft Deleted April 2019 as DRM Servers Shutdown
#9Hopefully people will finally learn their lesson about buying DRMed stuff.... but I doubt it.
Most people are probably excited to be getting refunded for books they have already read.
Re: Ebooks Purchased from Microsoft Deleted April 2019 as DRM Servers Shutdown
#10Hopefully people will finally learn their lesson about buying DRMed stuff.... but I doubt it.
And even once they’ve “learned their lesson” what do you propose they purchase instead? The non-DRM alternatives are often no where near as convenient, if they’re available at all.
I buy physical copies. In the cases where I buy digital media, I strip the DRM. I also support DRM-free vendors, like gog.com.
You can't depend on companies to honor their agreements in perpetuity, especially when there's no direct, ongoing economic incentive to do so.