L. Scott Redford On eBook DRM Standards

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=article020105' target='_blank'>http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/cgi-bi...y=article020105</a><br /><br /></div><i>"No easy way exists to loosen the DRM grip--this complicated issue can't be addressed with good old-fashioned guilt and fear. But e-book standards for DRM and formats would help...Microsoft, Adobe and Palm and the others now have their own special technology fee tacked on to the price of e-books. And that complicates merchandising. We e-book merchants would rather not have multiple cost structures for the same e-book...Nothing is more frustrating than having three different libraries on your handheld and forgetting where your recent fiction resides. I don't just hear customers complaints--I myself own a handheld."</i><br /><br />L. Scott Redford, president of Diesel eBooks, summarizes the biggest problem with ebook solutions today. While I'd prefer having no DRM at all, barring that I too would like one standard so that I don't need three different readers on my PDAs. My problem is that I disagree with his assertion -- we haven't seen standardization in the digital audio world, and I don't think we'll see standardization in the digital eBook world either. I hope I'm wrong. :|

[ucfgrad93]

While I'd prefer having no DRM at all, barring that I too would like one standard so that I don't need three different readers on my PDAs. My problem is that I disagree with his assertion -- we haven't seen standardization in the digital audio world, and I don't think we'll see standardization in the digital eBook world either. I hope I'm wrong. :|

I have to say that I agree with you. If we can't standardize with music which sells far content than ebooks, I don't see it happening for ebooks.

Personally, I prefer eReader. It has a reasonable DRM. I also love the fact that it is availible for 3 different platforms (Windows, Pocket PC, Palm OS) so I can read books on a veriety of devices.

[hamishmacdonald]

I got a harsh reminder of just how many devices I've gone through: today Microsoft refused to activate Reader on my Pocket PC because I've activated too many devices. Nevermind that only my PC has activation still on it. Nevermind that I've got a number of books I paid for that are locked up with DRM.

I know you can crack Reader files, but having to crack the books I bought...

Yeah, something better has got to come along. I'm a writer, and I still hate this DRM business.

[SteveHoward999]

I refuse to use more than one reader software. I have tried and tested several, but nothing has ever been as pleasant for me to use as MS Reader.

I now habitually crack eack of the books I purchase, as I too ran into 'too many devices'. Plus my wife and I each have multiple devices and buy our own books which we like to share - as we would with real books of course.

[Jimmy Dodd]

I got a harsh reminder of just how many devices I've gone through: today Microsoft refused to activate Reader on my Pocket PC because I've activated too many devices. Nevermind that only my PC has activation still on it. Nevermind that I've got a number of books I paid for that are locked up with DRM.

I know you can crack Reader files, but having to crack the books I bought...

Yeah, something better has got to come along. I'm a writer, and I still hate this DRM business.

Isn't there a de-activation sequence available? Of course if you no longer have the devices that may not be possible.

[disconnected]

Of all the things I use my PPC for, reading ebooks is my closest thing to a killer app. I buy mostly ereader books, because ereader has by far the least annoying DRM, but I dread the day they go out of business and, a few generations of hardware later, the reader will no longer work. Being too lazy to convert MSLit books, I'm willing to take that gamble, and my main complaint is the lack of availability of all the latest books in ebook form. However, until someone comes up with a DRM solution to satisfy readers, authors, and publishers, I'm afraid that the majority of new books won't be available as ebooks. :(

[Gerard]

You can't de-activate a device for activation credit under the M$ scheme. You can however backup and then transfer it, with 4 files. This is well documented on a number of sites, including this one in a past thread.

[SteveHoward999]

You can't de-activate a device for activation credit under the M$ scheme. You can however backup and then transfer it, with 4 files. This is well documented on a number of sites, including this one in a past thread.

I probably would have moved from MS Reader if I had not found this to be true!

[Paragon]

I'm not sure I understand what the probblem is....there IS only one ebook reader isn't there? eReader! Right? What other one is needed? ;)

Dave

[marovada]

When will these corporate juggernauts learn that anyone determined enough to break the law will succeed, DRM or no DRM. For god's sake you can photocopy a paper book or magazine if you want to and then scan it! No one's ever tried to stop that from happening.

DRM just makes money for the likes of Microsoft who try to make the other juggernauts feel safer and the consumer has to live with a totalitarian regime of keys and checks and limited portability. No wonder the average person would simply find it easier to use P2P. Which leads me to conclude that DRM just makes criminals out of mainstream consumers all in the name of the protection of concentrated wealth.

These people are simply trying to adapt a physical device theory (eg, book, record, tape, cd) to a new world in which such devices are not required. That theory suited their profits and now they're trying to protect them at the expense of interoperability and portability.

I hate living on the cusp of technological revolution.

[Kathy_Harris]

another good article on DRM:
http://www.teleread.org/publishersdrm.htm

[IpaqMan2]

When will these corporate juggernauts learn that anyone determined enough to break the law will succeed, DRM or no DRM. For god's sake you can photocopy a paper book or magazine if you want to and then scan it! No one's ever tried to stop that from happening.

DRM just makes money for the likes of Microsoft who try to make the other juggernauts feel safer and the consumer has to live with a totalitarian regime of keys and checks and limited portability. No wonder the average person would simply find it easier to use P2P. Which leads me to conclude that DRM just makes criminals out of mainstream consumers all in the name of the protection of concentrated wealth.

These people are simply trying to adapt a physical device theory (eg, book, record, tape, cd) to a new world in which such devices are not required. That theory suited their profits and now they're trying to protect them at the expense of interoperability and portability.

I hate living on the cusp of technological revolution.

I have to agree with every word here. Which is why I check to see if the book I want to read is in the library.. If it is.. i check it out and than head to a other places and find the ebook there without the hassel of screwing around with DRM and still able to use the reader I prefer. Am I a bad person?? maybe... But I guess each of us are criminals to some extend because we fail to live the letter of the law at all times just because some company says we must walk the line they drew on the floor instead doing those things that actually makes sense and benefit everyone.

But that's just how I see it.

[KH]

I've spoken with my $$$. I have enormous resistance to any technology that locks one to a device or set of devices that are fragile and in general are frequently replaced. I don't use any DRM but eReader, and am also betting that they will stay in business or be otherwise able to migrate technology and rights such that my very large collection will stay readable. Or that some of the large number of devices that we have will last or be emulated into the future. I do use MsReader for books I buy from BAEN and sometimes non-DRM books from Fictionwise, which I download in both formats. But in general I like the UI for eReader best anyway. Adobe? Wouldn't touch the stuff, except for one non-DRM book I wanted to have electronically and couldn't get any other way.