No, we should be deeply saddened and offended that a device we [might] purchase can be arbitrarily and retroactively crippled.

Would you also think it cool if some of the songs you already bought for your iPod one day would only play in mono?

http://www.teleread.org/2009/03/31/cory-doctorow-authors-guild-worrying-about-wrong-thing/

Basically, what Cory’s talking about is a subset of the fact that, when you buy any DRM’d e-book, the company that owns the DRM can potentially do bad things to you years after you make your purchase.

Look at all the people who invested heavily in DRM’d MobiPocket books when they had a Palm PDA, and now find they can’t read their library on their new iPhone (or Maemo tablet, or Android device, or Palm Pre, or…) because there’s no official MobiPocket reader for those devices (and apparently no hope of ever getting them, since it’s hard to see Amazon ever allowing its subsidiary to do anything that will further increase competition to its Kindle).

And what happens if Amazon decides to discontinue licensing the MobiPocket DRM format to its competitors? Every DRM’d MobiPocket book goes away. That could be a major blow to the e-book stores that rely heavily on it—and the readers who’ve bought heavily into e-books that they will no longer be able to re-lock to new devices.

This is a serious danger, and it’s disappointing it’s not getting more media attention. Cory, if you’re reading this, please consider looking into the Mobi(InAmazon’s)Pocket situation and making it the focus of a future column.

so im gonna zero in on the fact that if it’s contractual – and the artist signs it – what is the issue really -

the problem is with how books are promoted/published/distributed – whenever mass-mainstream media corporations become involved (and thats not always true) — i guess im gonna get into it anyway and sound like a bumbling asshole cuz i didnt want to — u write to make money – so u can live and write more – u need distributors to do this – (i kno i sound like an idiot) electronic media is a new marketplace

a new “barnes and noble” if you will — and if they cant figure out how to stop shoplifting completely – they’ll figure out a way to write-off or “hand-off” the losses

greed builds on fear builds on this snatch grab for profit rights

so in this whole bs cyber-media copyright war that will never end — all i want to say is

what about the blind people!!!!!!

Oh, come now. The fact that some files may not make full use of a piece of luxury hardware does not call for “deep sadness” and outrage. And so far it hasn’t been retroactively crippled.

Would you also think it cool if some of the songs you already bought for your iPod one day would only play in mono?

Again, there is no reason whatsoever to believe that .AZW files will be remotely altered. It’s not even clear that Amazon has the capability. This is pure and unsubstantiated speculation on Cory’s part. Which is fine, and I certainly agree that such a practice would be objectionable, but let’s not confuse speculation with facts on the ground.

As bedridden, I want a good e-text reader. E-paper seems out of reach, so I will settle for DS + flashcart. Of course, this necessitates open standards, not proprietary DRM.

Allow me to pay a buck or two maybe, lock me into $500 + retail book prices, not only can I not afford it, but my choices devolve to no text or pirate text.

If I own the book, stored, is that OK? What if I, um, “misplaced” it? (aka, had it but might have been lost in the move?)

What if I have perfect memory, and recite it verbatim?

I hate sounding like a conspiracy theorist, but we’re moving to a life-system whereby we own *nothing* and merely work in order to afford to eat, and to license the things we need or want.

What happened to *owning* your own home? Your car? The book or CD on your shelf?

Heck, what happened even to owning your money? What is that $100 bill you’re holding? A piece of paper backed by… nothing, all the while the printing presses are red hot from the overtime. Your investments and savings are just numbers in a database.

what really is mine?

i wont go through the numbers – but what it comes down to is this (i think)

if u made it – its urs –
if u grew it – its urs –
if the emotions u felt while u were fucking it were real – its urs (the emotions i mean, not the female)

i really cant find justification for any other category (and i cant decide if that is a bad thing or if its SIMPLY WONDERFUL)

Hehe… but you can’t have your dope, and smoke it! Vot iz needed iz a rewolushin :-)

Thank god I live 2 hours’ high-speed drive from Holland. Bless them fine people of them nether-lands. The last outpost of sanity.

which is more harmful to humanity – the torching of the library of alexandria – or the systematic suppression of emerging ideas –

and how screwed up is it that i have to ask that question? (please tell me if im off base)

I like competition, but it’s probably threatening to established authors and their publishing companies.

OTOH, it has color, wireless, optional keyboard, reads any format you can imagine, _and_ includes TTS. So unless the Author’s Guild wants to start waging war against all of technology in general, I’m really not sure what they’ve accomplished here.

but most of you are missing the BIGGER PICTURE

thats all i ever have to say really…

eventually i will tire of saying it – and you all will be doomed

Y’see, the Kindle can do text-to-speech on the device itself, with no need for any sort of support or authorization from Amazon. That means that only files that are specifically disabled when they are delivered are restricted. Any unprotected file that the user uploads directly to their Kindle has no restrictions. So if people want to use their TTS function, they’ll just go get their books from via torrent rather than through the Amazon store.

As a Kindle owner, I want to purchase legitimate books from the author and publishing companies that represent them. I think it’s the best way to support good writing. But if the playback is restricted by the copyright holder over what I think is a very clear case of overreaching copyright abuse, I’m just going to get my books elsewhere. That hurts Amazon, it hurts the progression of the technology, and it hurts authors. The Guild should recognize that and back down on this issue.

NOTE: I think it’s important to distinguish the Authors Guild from the authors. We need to be careful about language, and headlines like that are misleading. It’s not authors who are doing anything, it’s the Authors Guild that claims to represent them that objects to TTS. But the Authors Guild, as it has been pointed out on several occasions, has a membership under 10,000 and it includes authors, agents, and attorneys. Authors who are members who object to this ridiculous policy should withdraw from membership. Agents who object should encourage the authors they represent to withdraw. Attorneys – well, I doubt they’ll do anything, but it would be nice if a few of them actually admitted that this case had no legal standing and withdrew as well.

Whether the remote-disabling of the TTS feature is possible… probably, with their push-updates via the Kindle whispernet.

What will happen is this: the Guild and most of its members will be content with contractual acknowledgment of (what is from their POV) a particular right sold. Amazon will continue to sell the same books as before, which is to the advantage of both the company, the authors, and Amazon customers. Consumers will continue to receive the exact same (DRM-laced!) product.

Isn’t this a better resolution than Cory’s proposed scenario, where Amazon and authors both lose ebook sales and Kindle customers have less variety? Furthermore, say Amazon had “recalled” books at authors’ request — is that any less likely to raise questions of remote deactivation? (To be clear, I think it’s deeply unlikely in any case.)

I understand — though gently disagree with — Cory’s argument that a sort of abstract, intellectual con has been perpetrated, Setting a Dangerous Precedent, but it seems to me that the real-world fallout is either nil or vaguely positive.

Again, if I’m wrong, I’ll gladly eat my words.