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MobipocketThe best fix for the Sony Librie, the crippled technowonder that can’t even display public domain books in HTML because Sony is so DRM-fixated, would be an OpenReader approach. That’s what Jon Noring and I have been pushing.

But what if Sony at least allowed nonDRMed HTML to be imported into the Librie format as a temporary measure–or, better, used a popular reading system like Mobipocket that already permits HTML imports?

Just putting that idea out there. Sooner or later the market will tell Sony that a truly standards-based approach is better. But the importation strategy could work out in the interim.

The monopoly factor: One difference between Japan and the U.S.

Meanwhile it is important to distinguish between the Japanese and American markets. We already know that Sony DRM has POed well-informed consumers in both countries and plenty other places without Sony even marketing the unit outside Japan. Here’s the real difference between Japan and America. In the States, I suspect, the publishing monopolies are somewhat less powerful than in Japan. I just wish Sony would show some guts. There are lots of small but excellent publishers, in the States at least, that could help Sony reinvent the e-book industry so it grows from the pathetic $20-$30 million in global sales. A little courage, please, Sony. Otherwise maybe you’d better sell off your e-book operations and venture into paper mills.

Detail: Mobipocket imports HTML and TXT via the included Mobipocket Web Companion. No secrets here. After you click on “Publish,” the Web Companion says: “Welcome to Mobipocket Web Companion. It will help you to convert any HTML, TXT or Image file into a Mobipocket PRC file.” If the Web Companion botches the job, you can always clean up the HTML file so it does display properly.

The big question: Just why can Mobipocket deal with big publishers while preserving those HTML and TXT importation capabilities but Sony can’t, at least in Japan? Public explanations welcomed! Is Sony going to let Japanese publishers dictate the kinds of machines and software sold to English-reading Americans in the future? Whether Sony is DRM fixated on its own because of its Hollywood ventures or because of pressure from Japanese publishing giants, the real losers will be the electronics conglomerate’s shareholders. The longer Sony lets Hollywood copyright zealots or Japanese publishing trogs set the tone, the more chance that other technologies will drain off buyers from its E Ink-based Librie.

 
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