Comments on: Sony and the Adobe DRM alliance: New reason for Amazon to get publishers to drop ‘protection’? http://www.teleread.com/drm/sony-and-the-adobe-drm-alliance-new-reason-for-amazon-to-get-pubs-to-drop-protection/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:23:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Alan Wallcraft http://www.teleread.com/drm/sony-and-the-adobe-drm-alliance-new-reason-for-amazon-to-get-pubs-to-drop-protection/comment-page-1/#comment-1135382 Alan Wallcraft Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:52:57 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/26/sony-and-the-adobe-drm-alliance-new-reason-for-amazon-to-get-pubs-to-drop-protection/#comment-1135382 Currently the only ebook reader software that supports Adobe DRM is Adobe Digital Editions. So single DRM source means single Reader implementation. Unlike the majority of popular Readers, which tend to favour the reading public, Adobe Digital Editions has a "publisher is always right" philosophy. For example, it is impossible to change the margins in ADE, so if the publisher specifies large margins this is what you get even on a small screen. Stanza should have been the first alternative ePub Reader to support Adobe DRM, but this now seems unlikely to happen given that Stanza is owned by Amazon. Currently the only ebook reader software that supports Adobe DRM is Adobe Digital Editions. So single DRM source means single Reader implementation. Unlike the majority of popular Readers, which tend to favour the reading public, Adobe Digital Editions has a “publisher is always right” philosophy. For example, it is impossible to change the margins in ADE, so if the publisher specifies large margins this is what you get even on a small screen.

Stanza should have been the first alternative ePub Reader to support Adobe DRM, but this now seems unlikely to happen given that Stanza is owned by Amazon.

]]> By: Rich Adin http://www.teleread.com/drm/sony-and-the-adobe-drm-alliance-new-reason-for-amazon-to-get-pubs-to-drop-protection/comment-page-1/#comment-1135212 Rich Adin Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:28:10 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/26/sony-and-the-adobe-drm-alliance-new-reason-for-amazon-to-get-pubs-to-drop-protection/#comment-1135212 David, my number 1 preference would be ePub with no DRM. But if that isn't going to happen soon (I believe eventually it will), then my number 2 preference is for all ebooks, etailers, and ebook devices to use ePub with exactly the same DRM, which would enable me to change devices at whim, purchase from whomsoever I please, and still read books I leased. Although #2 is acceptable to me, publishers need to recognize that I am unwilling to pay as high a price for a DRMed book as I am for a non-DRMed book. One other thought about preference #2: With a universal ePub format and universal DRM scheme, the IDPF could make it mandatory that Adobe or the creator of the universal DRM scheme deposit with the organization a DRM removal key in the vent that the DRM creator should no longer support the DRM. It could also require as a quid pro quo for the universal DRM that a system be "deposited" with the organization that ensures that today's DRM will be readable on all future DRMed devices, perhaps some upgradable path that is built into device firmware. I think a lot of the problems with the DRMed products can be alleviated by eliminating the DRM babel and having a universal standard. If every publisher and device maker except Amazon acceded to such an accord, the ultimate loser would be Amazon, which, by way of mildly twisted reasoning, would mean that the consumer would ultimately win because even Amazon would have to ultimately join the accord. David, my number 1 preference would be ePub with no DRM. But if that isn’t going to happen soon (I believe eventually it will), then my number 2 preference is for all ebooks, etailers, and ebook devices to use ePub with exactly the same DRM, which would enable me to change devices at whim, purchase from whomsoever I please, and still read books I leased.

Although #2 is acceptable to me, publishers need to recognize that I am unwilling to pay as high a price for a DRMed book as I am for a non-DRMed book.

One other thought about preference #2: With a universal ePub format and universal DRM scheme, the IDPF could make it mandatory that Adobe or the creator of the universal DRM scheme deposit with the organization a DRM removal key in the vent that the DRM creator should no longer support the DRM. It could also require as a quid pro quo for the universal DRM that a system be “deposited” with the organization that ensures that today’s DRM will be readable on all future DRMed devices, perhaps some upgradable path that is built into device firmware.

I think a lot of the problems with the DRMed products can be alleviated by eliminating the DRM babel and having a universal standard. If every publisher and device maker except Amazon acceded to such an accord, the ultimate loser would be Amazon, which, by way of mildly twisted reasoning, would mean that the consumer would ultimately win because even Amazon would have to ultimately join the accord.

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