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Amazon trying to make DRM more tolerable—rather than ending it? But wait: Anti-MobileRead DMCA threat shows a meaner side
March 12, 2009 | 1:28 pm
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By David Rothman
Best for Amazon to drop DRM from e-books—the same way it sells ownable music without “protection.” But Kirk Biglione, at Medialoper, offers a hopeful Tweet: “Just noticed you can have multiple iPhones attached to a Kindle account. Amazon learning DRM flexibility from Apple.” Not that I expect Kirk to turn pro-DRM. And here’s one more reason.
Amazon has just sent MobileRead a DMCA takedown notice aimed a tool that lets you buy DRMed e-books at stores other than Amazon. No piracy involved—merely the right to purchase books at non-American stores that will buy the usual royalties to writers. Talk about abuse of the DMCA—and lack of DRM flexibility! Needless to say, I hope that this aspect of DRM and the technology in general will receive tough scrutiny at the FTC hearings later this month. Also, I’m curious what legal measures Amazon might use against competing stores that have the nerve to sell DRMed Kindle-format books. Any threats happening against stores?
Question: Does anyone know the number of devices that Amazon’s DRM will allow for iPhone or Touch users? Same number as for Kindles, whatever it is these days?
(Updated around 5:00 p.m.)
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Comments:
Trying to make DRM more tolerable? Gilding the cage, perhaps.
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41929
Since you can register more than one Kindle to one account I’m not surprised you can register more than one iPhone/Touch to one account.
Don’t know if there is a fixed limit on the number of devices per account.
You can have unlimited devices registered to your account but the ebooks only contain a license for 6 devices. At least, that is the word from Amazon customer support.
This DMCA thing is absolutely disgusting. I am now offically an Amazon enemy, and I hope they go out of business with their other Free Speech hating, publishing brethren. I am all for authors making money, but we have to figure out a system where publishers are excluded.
Copyright was intended to give exclusive rights to profits — not to restrict access to publications or silence people who help others expand the use of their hardware.
The RIAA, MPAA, and book publishing industry are all criminals, and they deserve jail time, not dollars. Buying from Amazon or Apple should be viewed as a criminal act as well.
“Friends don’t let friends support cartels.”
Just one more (of many) reasons not to do business with Amazon. I’m sensing a pattern – some day I’ll be required to buy the air that I breathe from Amazon.
I think it’s curious that Amazon bought mobipocket and re-used their DRM scheme, rather than inventing their own (like I believe Sony did). Did they think it wouldn’t get hacked in various ways? Did they do any research to see if it was ALREADY cracked?
I mean, it’s obvious they weren’t going for the compatibility angle with Mobi, so why not just completely close off your book to one format? (like Sony did before supporting EPUB).
I guess the answer is “money”. Cheaper to buy Mobi, get a “free” DRM scheme to start with AND the ability to perhaps squash and intimidate potential competitors to boot (for instnace when they forced some of the other mobi providers to disallow the Kindle PID – Fictionwise for one).
What I find REALLY confusing is how many “off brand” eInk readers support DRM’ed Mobipocket! Aren’t they licensing this FROM Amazon. Too weird. Someone’s gonna have to explain this one to me…
Before we get all giddy about Sony, let’s not forget the rootkit incident. That was about the worst invasion of privacy and misuse of technology I can think of. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Sony_BMG_CD_copy_protection_scandal for details. I will never, ever, buy anything made by Sony because of it.