Comments on: Lessons from 2007 on Digital Rights Management

By: Dish Washer Reviews

Dish Washer Reviews — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:15:13 +0000

DRM is the bbackbone of the whole system

By: » If You Want To Compete With Free, This Is What You Need To Know

» If You Want To Compete With Free, This Is What You Need To Know — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 17:12:31 +0000

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By: ASTAK 5" Pocket Pro ebook reader in 6 colors | My Ebook Reader

ASTAK 5" Pocket Pro ebook reader in 6 colors | My Ebook Reader — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:47:26 +0000

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By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:57:06 +0000

I think a big part of the problem here is that libraries currently need to use third parties like Overdrive to supply ebooks to their patrons. Libraries need to be able to purchase eBooks that show up in their OPACs and are downloadable from the OPAC itself. Whatever system is devised so that publishers can make money and libraries can effectively lend eBooks needs to work without a third party like this.

By: Lea

Lea — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:40:39 +0000

I agree that libraries need to reinvent themselves to some extent, but I don’t think it’s a fact that “books are going the way of vinyl records,” and that’s not me being an idealist, it’s completely accurate that public libraries circulate millions upon millions of books annually, and stats- at least where I am from in NY- have been going up in the past few years. I think it’s dangerous to assume that just because we have all of these new emerging technologies that the public is no longer interested in a good old-fashioned book. Libraries do need to reinvent themselves, but that is not to say they should be replacing their original function of providing information in a physical format to the community– rather, they should be adding to this foundation with newer services.

By: Martin Edic

Martin Edic — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 22:02:05 +0000

You’re so right Sarah- regarding hacking. But from a business perspective there are times when DRM makes sense and publishers are businesses. For example, if I sell an ebook to a CEO and she thinks everyone in her company should read it (this is happening), without DRM she can copy it and pass it around to any number of people instantly and simultaneously. Otherwise she has to buy those copies. Hard copies of books have built-in rights management- it’s very difficult to copy the physical object.
Do you have a problem with the DRM built into the software you buy? I don’t see why books are different.

However I do need to make it clear: I do not agree with Harper’s policy on limiting the lifespan of a book. They are simply trying to hang onto an old way of making money instead of being innovative and finding new ways to define publishing.

The fact is that books are going the way of vinyl records and libraries need to reinvent themselves (which I believe they are doing much faster than the publishing industry). My sister is just completing her MLS and has no idea whether she will ever actually work in a library, a depressing situation.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:01:33 +0000

*With* DRM any good hacker could steal every ebook in a library system in minutes. Let’s be real.

By: Martin Edic

Martin Edic — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:41:23 +0000

Without DRM any good hacker could steal every ebook in a library system in minutes. How do we feel about that?

By: Martin Edic

Martin Edic — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:39:03 +0000

Books are different for one big reason from movies and music: Their file size is tiny. Right now you can download a free torrent with 2500 titles in it in minutes. You cannot do that with large files. So, without some kind of protection, any ebook can be copied instantly, unlike their paper counterparts. It simply not an apples to apples comparison.
That being said, the total lack of any agreed upon standards for ebook formats puts a new digital publisher like us in a confusing situation. DRM or no DRM? How does ISBN fit in, a technology designed for physical book inventory management? Bowker has no idea. What about ebooks whose content is updated frequently? They are coming. The distribution channels all want different things from publishers. Libraries want different things from publishers. And readers don’t understand why a book on one device can’t be read on another (it can as long as it’s Kindle and purchased from Amazon, who doesn’t sell to libraries…)
Yikes.

By: Sarah Houghton-Jan

Sarah Houghton-Jan — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 01:47:27 +0000

@Tim – If it consoles your professional sadness any, there are several of us on the eBooks Taskforce that agree with the “Roll the Berserker!” approach. We’re working…whether formally within the taskforce or outside of it. Berserker away!