Ranting about DRM....

[aishabintjamil]

I'm not a fan of e-pirates, but I'm even less of a fan of DRM. Why? Because while I own an E-reader I'm happy with (a Kobo), there are way too many authors I enjoy who are releasing e-books only through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and putting DRM on them so those of us who have other devices can't use them.

Sure, I can, and have, installed the PC-based applications for both types, so I *CAN* read there. but, you know it's not really making me happy to be tied to my laptop when I want to read. I bought an e-reader so I could take books with me, or read in bed, or curled up on the sofa.

And making me even less happy is that there's *NOTHING* in the product descriptions on either Amazon or Barnes and Noble to give me as a purchaser a clue whether the books are protected or not, until I've bought them and try to open them in Calibre. So I have to assume, unless I have some other information source, that any Kindle or Nook book I buy will be crippled. And that drives me to not buying them, which hurts the author. I buy my ebooks from other distributors, and if that favorite author isn't there, then I either buy paper, or I wait and hope to find it used somewhere. Or maybe I just buy someone else's book in the meantime - someone whose book I can read on whichever piece of my hardware is convenient.

Today's rant, in case you're wondering, was provoked by Tor. They've been bragging about going DRM-free this summer. Well, apparently that hasn't happened yet, because the book I just bought from Barnes and Noble, thinking they were now usable, isn't.

Even their free author sampler collections are still crippled with DRM. Hello? You're giving it away. Why are you making it hard for people to read? What's the point?

Comments

[jl_merrow]

Psst! Make sure you have the latest version of Calibre, then download the plug-in that deals with that little problem. :)

I think DRM is a big fail, too. It penalises the innocent, while doing nothing to curb the activities of the guilty.

[aishabintjamil.livejournal.com]

I"m considering doing that for the ones from Amazon. I haven't bought any on account of the uncertainty about the DRM situation, but I do have a bunch of free downloads that turned out to have it. I haven't grumbled about those because it's tacky to look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm nervous about the one that works for Nook books though, because the directions I read say you have to enter the # of the CC you purchased with. I think I'm out that purchase, because 2.99 is not worth risking the headaches of canceling the card and filing a fraud claim if the plug in turned out not to be legitimate.

[jl_merrow]

Hmm. No, I wouldn't be keen on anything that wanted my credit card details. (The one for Amazon books doesn't).
Can you get an app to read them on your phone? Still not perfect, but better than reading on the computer screen, IMO.

[aishabintjamil.livejournal.com]

No, I have a very stupid phone. I'm cheap.

[jl_merrow]

Oh, you must get a smartphone. I lurve my phone; it makes trips to the internet-free in-laws so much more bearable! (The in-laws are lovely, btw - I just hate not being able to get online). Plus queues at shops, the bank, etc are so much less tedious if you can go on Twitter or just read a book on your phone.
*is ardent technophile*
*is not currently receiving commission from any tech companies, but is open to offers* ;)

[bipolar-brit.livejournal.com]

I had a huge rant about this as well the other day (over on blogger if you're interested: http://veetu-industries.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/wee-rant-on-cult-of-kindle.html ). Brought up pretty much all the same points as yourself; don't want to read on the computer because I spend a lot of time here, can't curl up in bed with the desktop, annoyance at the seeming lack of support for anyone owning anything other than a Kindle.