Comments on: Making Social DRM work for e-books—with maximum privacy protection http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/30/making-social-drm-work-for-e-books-with-maximum-privacy-protection/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:55:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: HeavyG http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/30/making-social-drm-work-for-e-books-with-maximum-privacy-protection/#comment-779596 HeavyG Fri, 02 May 2008 19:06:44 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/30/making-social-drm-work-for-e-books-with-maximum-privacy-protection/#comment-779596 Interesting, thoughtful article David. I disagree though with your opening statement that "E-books sales could get a big boost if the industry ditched Digital Rights Management...". DRM, as odious as it is, is not "the thing" that is blocking wider acceptance of ebooks. In my opinion the two main problems are the current hardware (price/sizes/capabilities) offerings and the price and availability of the titles people want to read. No doubt the hardware will continue to evolve independently of the availabilty of ebook titles. Ultimately I think we'll find that hardware devices that are intended solely for reading ebooks just won't exist. The availability of titles I think will be a tougher nut to crack. I don't believe the mass market is going to accept paying the same price for an ebook (with or without DRM) that they pay for a print book. And if people find that ebooks don't come with the same ability to be loaned to friends (without repercussions) or sold to a "used ebook store" (there's an oxymoron yes?) there will be less interest in purchasing those. While Social DRM might be a useful approach I see a couple of problems apart from the privacy concerns. The primary thought behind the use of Social DRM seems to be that one who "owns" the ebook will be reluctant to share the ebook too widely due to the ability of "the man" to track them down and punish them somehow. While I believe most people are honest most of the time not all people are honest all of the time. Once you "loan" an ebook to a friend you really have no further control over how that file may continue to be distributed. While the purchaser of an ebook may not have been responsible for releasing it into the wild all it takes is one friend of a friend to put it on a torrent network and then you end up sharing it with your 5,000 closest friends. :) What happens then? Will publishers start engaging in the same sort of behavior as the RIAA? What if a person's ebook library is taken from a pc/device that is physically stolen and then shared via the net? What if ones ebook library is stolen via spyware/malware/etc.? How will publishers respond? If they respond as threateningly as the RIAA will that do anything beneficial to the ebook market? Currently I can walk into a bookstore, pay cash, and walk out with my book in hand and not have to identify myself. That would have to change under a Social DRM arrangement yes? Is the mass marketplace likely to accept the inability to make an anonymous book purchase (actually that may become a moot point as I wouldn't be surprised if the Department of Homeland Security eventually succeeds in prohibiting the anonymous purchase of books regardless of format). Earlier I mentioned loaning an ebook to a friend. What are likely to be the acceptable limits of distribution via a Social DRM arrangement and who decides? Interesting, thoughtful article David.

I disagree though with your opening statement that “E-books sales could get a big boost if the industry ditched Digital Rights Management…”.

DRM, as odious as it is, is not “the thing” that is blocking wider acceptance of ebooks. In my opinion the two main problems are the current hardware (price/sizes/capabilities) offerings and the price and availability of the titles people want to read.

No doubt the hardware will continue to evolve independently of the availabilty of ebook titles. Ultimately I think we’ll find that hardware devices that are intended solely for reading ebooks just won’t exist.

The availability of titles I think will be a tougher nut to crack. I don’t believe the mass market is going to accept paying the same price for an ebook (with or without DRM) that they pay for a print book. And if people find that ebooks don’t come with the same ability to be loaned to friends (without repercussions) or sold to a “used ebook store” (there’s an oxymoron yes?) there will be less interest in purchasing those.

While Social DRM might be a useful approach I see a couple of problems apart from the privacy concerns.

The primary thought behind the use of Social DRM seems to be that one who “owns” the ebook will be reluctant to share the ebook too widely due to the ability of “the man” to track them down and punish them somehow.

While I believe most people are honest most of the time not all people are honest all of the time.

Once you “loan” an ebook to a friend you really have no further control over how that file may continue to be distributed. While the purchaser of an ebook may not have been responsible for releasing it into the wild all it takes is one friend of a friend to put it on a torrent network and then you end up sharing it with your 5,000 closest friends. :)

What happens then? Will publishers start engaging in the same sort of behavior as the RIAA?

What if a person’s ebook library is taken from a pc/device that is physically stolen and then shared via the net? What if ones ebook library is stolen via spyware/malware/etc.? How will publishers respond? If they respond as threateningly as the RIAA will that do anything beneficial to the ebook market?

Currently I can walk into a bookstore, pay cash, and walk out with my book in hand and not have to identify myself. That would have to change under a Social DRM arrangement yes? Is the mass marketplace likely to accept the inability to make an anonymous book purchase (actually that may become a moot point as I wouldn’t be surprised if the Department of Homeland Security eventually succeeds in prohibiting the anonymous purchase of books regardless of format).

Earlier I mentioned loaning an ebook to a friend. What are likely to be the acceptable limits of distribution via a Social DRM arrangement and who decides?

]]> By: Al http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/30/making-social-drm-work-for-e-books-with-maximum-privacy-protection/#comment-779826 Al Thu, 01 May 2008 02:43:53 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/30/making-social-drm-work-for-e-books-with-maximum-privacy-protection/#comment-779826 I am one of the readers who tries to avoid DRM books. If I really really want a book and the DRM copy is the only one available, I might do that. Meanwhile I am reading lots of books that don't have DRM and I have so far not bothered to give copies to anyone. I have been asked and my response is that the book was so inexpensive that they can afford to buy their own copy. Lots of books out there under six bucks folks, even freebies. I think the success of iTunes is to be able to buy a "legal" copy at a reasonable price. Music companies are not losing money from the P2P people who collect 30,000 songs. The would not have bought them in the first place. I feel the same thing applies to books. Would the author rather have 35% of $5 or all of nothing? I am one of the readers who tries to avoid DRM books. If I really really want a book and the DRM copy is the only one available, I might do that. Meanwhile I am reading lots of books that don’t have DRM and I have so far not bothered to give copies to anyone. I have been asked and my response is that the book was so inexpensive that they can afford to buy their own copy. Lots of books out there under six bucks folks, even freebies. I think the success of iTunes is to be able to buy a “legal” copy at a reasonable price. Music companies are not losing money from the P2P people who collect 30,000 songs. The would not have bought them in the first place. I feel the same thing applies to books. Would the author rather have 35% of $5 or all of nothing?

]]>