"drm-free" entries
"Lightweight" DRM isn't the answer
O'Reilly responds to the IDPF's request for comments on a new form of DRM.
In this open letter to the IDPF's Executive Director, Bill McCoy, O'Reilly GM & Publisher Joe Wikert explains why a DRM-free approach is far better than any "lightweight" DRM option.
For many publishers, direct sales is an untapped opportunity
John Oakes on OR Books' alternative business model.
In this TOC podcast, OR Books co-founder John Oakes talks about the importance of a direct to consumer channel and why OR Books has made it a priority.
Microsoft/O'Reilly Alliance Means DRM-free Ebooks Coming from MS Press
Full details are in Tim's post on the Radar blog (and in the Press Release and in the statement from Microsoft ), but thought one part of this deal worth calling out specifically here: I'm particularly excited that as part of this agreement, Microsoft has committed to make its ebooks DRM-free and device-independent. One of our goals at O'Reilly has…
Ebook Piracy is Up Because Ebook Demand is Up
My email, twitter, and "real-world" information stream is abuzz today with references to a New York Times story about the increase in piracy of ebooks: “It’s exponentially up,” said David Young, chief executive of Hachette Book Group, whose Little, Brown division publishes the “Twilight” series by Stephenie Meyer, a favorite among digital pirates. “Our legal department is spending an ever-increasing…
Over 160 O'Reilly Books Now in Kindle Store (without DRM), More on the Way
I’m happy to announce that more than 160 O’Reilly books are now available on Kindle, and are being sold without any DRM (Digital Rights Management). Though we do offer more than 400 ebooks direct from our website, the number for sale on Kindle will be limited until Amazon updates Kindle 1 to support table rendering (“maybe this summer” is the most specific they would get). We expect to add another 100 or so titles in the coming weeks; those have needed a more detailed analysis of the table content to identify good candidates. There were two main reasons we held our books back from sale on Kindle: poor rendering of complex content and compulsory DRM.
Pirates Convince Game Developer to Drop DRM
"Why do people pirate my games?" Game developer Cliff Harris recently posed this question on his blog and the onslaught of responses caught him (and his blog host) by surprise. Harris offers some interesting conclusions, but most notable is this passage on digital rights management (DRM): People don't like DRM, we knew that, but the extent to which DRM is…
Charting the Pitfalls of DRM
In the wake of MSN Music's authorization decision, Steve O'Hear from last100 looks at five DRM-based businesses that left customers high and dry. From the article: Any digital store that sells or loans you content in a copy-protected format makes you a hostage to that store or format's commercial success. (Via Teleread) Related Stories: DRM, DMCA and Competitive Lock-In Responsibly…