Engadget reports that undisclosed law firm on behalf of Amazon.com sent cease and desist letter to MobileRead.com admins demanding pages that host instructions on how to use Python script that allows you to read legally purchased DRM protected eBooks in MobiPocket format on Kindle and Kindle 2.
My personal opinion is that it’s not as simple as Engadget and TechDirt would like to portray it. For one, Engadget’s statement that the script “script, which can’t actually be used to break Kindle DRM” is misleading. I will not elaborate why. If you research the matter yourself, you may find out what I mean. I don’t want to take sides on this particular issue, I just want to point out that there’s more to it than meets the eye or what’s written in mainstream news.
While I am personally a big supporter of open information market where content creators and distributors are fairly compensated for their work and law-abiding users are not limited by crippling DRM systems that bind them to specific hardware. But before this can happen market should get big enough. Otherwise it may collapse because of extreme competition. Amazon is currently the biggest driver or eBook market growth. Cut their profits, their eBook business may collapse and there will be no market at all. Recent release of Kindle application for iPhone and iPodTouch is a step in the right direction towards more open information market. Because it allows usage of purchased digital content to be freely used across two different software and hardware platforms. Hopefully soon more steps like this will follow.
I am a big believer in the “market” and that thing will naturally work towards an equilibrium that will work for everyone. So I agree totally with your point about the risk of trying to force things. It was totally unrealistic to expect us all to move from CDs to “free” music overnight but actually over time new models have evolved that look viable and where everyone wins. I am sure the same will happen with written material too.
Some of the anti-DRM rants do unfortunately seem to be written by immature authors who just seem to want something for nothing. I wonder how they would feel if someone posted a copy of their entire website and took 80% of their income from here on in! I’d be a little annoyed lol.
In the meantime lets see how things evolve naturally. At the end of the day I am happy to reward talented writers who are trying to earn a living. Nothing wrong with that :)
Fortunately, no one can silence the results yielded via Google, which I successfully indulged last year. The problem: an extensive library of eReader books, purchased during my Treo days. When I switched to the iPhone, and later purchased Kindle 1, I did so suspecting that, one day, a group of wiz kids would create a conversion tool allowing me to read MY purchased books on MY preferred device. Those former eReader-only texts now reside on my Kindle 2, as it should be.
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