What's really wrong with DRM? [LWN.net]

What's really wrong with DRM?

Posted Mar 3, 2004 13:57 UTC (Wed) by brugolsky (subscriber, #28)
In reply to: What's really wrong with DRM? by elanthis
Parent article: The Committee for Economic Development on digital copyright

And in, e.g., education? What happens when you or your child is offered the alternative of buying 20 e-books with DRM (that, by the way, can only be read using some Microsoft e-book reader) for $5 apiece, or pay $50 each for the hardcover?

The school or university will tell you that it is not "mandating" anything -- you are free to go with the vastly higher cost alternative, if there is one.

I have zero trust that some lawmaker or administrator won't tell us to "get over it," and trade away a little freedom for reduced cost. It is already happening.

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What's really wrong with DRM?

Posted Mar 6, 2004 1:09 UTC (Sat) by giraffedata (subscriber, #1954) [Link]

What happens when you or your child is offered the alternative of buying 20 e-books with DRM (that, by the way, can only be read using some Microsoft e-book reader) for $5 apiece, or pay $50 each for the hardcover?

I believe the implication of this rhetorical question is that if DRM weren't legally available to a publisher, that the option instead would be 1) e-books without DRM for $5 apiece; 2) $50 each for hardcover.

I really doubt that's true. If DRM weren't legally available to a publishers, the $50 hardcopy would be the only option.

That's why I'm a big fan of DRM. Some day it will allow publishers to offer me product cheaper, and in more convenient form, than they can today.