Apple Set to Deploy FairPlay Digital Rights Management on iPad eBooks?

[SeattleMoose]

Nobody Should Be Paid For Art

Art is something humans do after they have food, shelter, and safety.

It is essentially a hobby but it is not essential to survival.

All music, books, movies, etc. should be free as nobody should make a hobby their......"job".

Besides the internet already is forcing the issue.

Soon nobody will make a dime from art.

 

[aristobrat]

Well damn. I guess I'll never be buying any eBooks from Apple. I didn't really start buying music from iTunes until they lifted this asinine DRM from the songs, and the same will apply here.

Apple didn't lift the "asinine DRM from the songs", the record labels did.

As the article is written, each book publisher will have the choice to use DRM on what they sell through iTunes. Or not use DRM. The point being, it's not Apple's choice what the specific publisher chooses to do.

 

[enberg]

Ever bought a DVD?

Your cell phone components contain DRM

Your cell phone sim card contains DRM

The list go on and on.

So how does the fact that stupid people persist in putting DRM on things change the fact that it doesn't work?

 

[rockosmodurnlif]

What do they mean "Apple phased out FairPlay a year ago"?

Then why can't I burn iTunes movies onto DVDs? I was under the impression that Fairplay was still what Apple is using on all the movies and TV shows

So the news here isn't "Fairply is back!" but rather "Books will be like movies, not songs."

I can't say that I find that surprising.

Same thing I thought after reading the article. FairPlay is the main reason I don't have video content from iTunes. A DVD may also be DRMed but at least there are ways around that.

 

[Westside guy]

And a lot of free TV on the web is ad-supported (like Hulu).

Hulu's already said they're going to start charging for access sometime this year - the "free, ad-supported" model was only in place to build audience.

Back on topic - I don't mind DRM if it doesn't get in my way. Funny thing (given the current status of DRM use) is with music it was never an issue, but with movies it has been. So while I've bought a lot of music from the iTMS, I've only bought a couple movies - and then ran those movies through Requiem so I could stream them to my TV.

 

[chris7777]

Neatly sidestepping the issue of the author getting money for you enjoying their book. Every creative mass-market industry has its overbearing giants - that doesn't make it right to steal the things they sell. Not if it deprives the author/singer/songwriter etc. of their hard-earned cash.

So let the overbearing Giants, be the ones to rake the
author/singer/songwriters over instead?

Not encouraging it, but I think its time that these over bloated, extortionist go away since their is now a new way to publish, without having to pay them a red cent for doing next to nothing, but blocking those from whom they want to extort money out of, unless they get their own cut for opening the gates they built.

 

[Vulpinemac]

As for cheating the author out of money, the author has a choice of who they publish with and each publisher will likely have the choice in selling DRM's products. If the author chooses to stick with a publisher who is steadfast in only offering DRM's books, then let them stay on that sinking ship. Once the pirating begins to occur (and it indeed will, no doubt), then the author will have the choice to sink or move on. The authors that are vocal about DRM's products will suffer like Metallica did (where people went out of their way to pirate their albums). This is not a step forward, but a step back in time.

You obviously know nothing about publishing. The authors work their tails off trying to find someone to publish their work. In most cases, a starting author has NO choice of who they publish with, sometimes spending months or even years trying to get even ONE publisher to buy their work. And that's long after the second, third or maybe even thirteenth rewrite of the story. Once the publisher has purchased the work, he then gets to edit, re-edit, re-write and then re-edit the book again--as many times as the publisher feels is necessary to fine-tune the book to a salable product. Up to that point, only three or four people have had their hands on it: the author, the agent, the reader and the editor. Until all four agree that the story is ready for print, that work never even sees the copy setter or a cover artist.

By no means does the author have the option of saying, "I don't want DRM on my story." The publisher owns all rights to that work unless specifically laid out in a contract signed by the Publisher, the Agent and the Author. A writer can't just step up and say, "I don't like your methods, I'm taking it to another House." By the time he's gotten that far, it's too late. He has to live with his contract until it expires or the publisher breaks the contract due to poor sales. The writer doesn't necessarily have to go back to the same House for subsequent titles, but that title is stuck until the contract expires.

 

[tk421]

Hulu's already said they're going to start charging for access sometime this year - the "free, ad-supported" model was only in place to build audience..

Not to get too off-topic, but that's not true. Google it. (speaking of Google, the ad-supported model has worked quite well for them )

 

[charlituna]

What do they mean "Apple phased out FairPlay a year ago"?

well they did mention tunes in the rest of the sentence

but yes you are correct that it is only music. which raises a point. This is NOT Apple that wants DRM. it's the studios, networks and publishers. All Apple has likely done is plus FairPlay as the flavor of DRM because support is already in their systems and it is known to work with epub files.

 

[rorschach]

I don't really care about this per se, except that I'd really prefer to see DRM die and the more *new* services that use it, the longer we have to put up with it. Not that Apple's is that horrible.

I don't see why we won't be able to load our own books though. I mean we can load our own music, movies, podcasts, audiobooks, and those are all sold on iTunes. Apps are the exception but apps are little different (being executable code and not just passive content.)

 

[chris7777]

Art is something humans do after they have food, shelter, and safety.

It is essentially a hobby but it is not essential to survival.

All music, books, movies, etc. should be free as nobody should make a hobby their......"job".

Besides the internet already is forcing the issue.

Soon nobody will make a dime from art.

That's the point generally speaking you don't, and while I am all for those that do not have the talent glutting the place with inferior content, If you reduce creativity to totally a hobby level, you would loose a great deal of content, , now granted sometimes it feels like those artist loose their fire once they make it, but a movie is not generally made after the creators get off from their day jobs, and neither is much else that has had any real time or effort involved in the making. That being said I reiterate not everyone that thinks they are talented are as talented as they see themselves, and that's one place for the market to decide.

 

[MisterK]

Absolutely no problem with this

They just want to protect themselves and I think that's fine. If people didn't steal stuff, then no one would need DRM. Turns out that if your work can be pirated, then people will pirate it. I'm happy to pay for what I consume (if there are appropriate samples, demos, or previews). If someone spent time to create something and offers it at a price you're willing to pay, then the world is happy and life continues. If this person offers it at a price you are NOT willing to pay, then suck it up. Just because the internet has made you accustomed to stealing things, doesn't mean it's right or fair.

 

[0dev]

Using an open standard then crippling it by using technology which has been proven to be harmful to customer experience yet useless at stopping piracy? Priceless.

 

[jaw04005]

It makes sense for those regions where the iBook store will not be available. If the store part is a major element of the app, than those regions would have a crippled experience.

Somehow this could imply that foreign books will not import in the iBook application. I hope that's not the case....

Both the iPhone iTunes Store and App Store were not available in all countries at launch either. What happened if you were in another country, then? Does it say it’s not available when you open the App?

So, it doesn’t really make sense unless it’s easier for them to update the iBooks app via the Store instead just the OS.

Weird choice.

Using an open standard then crippling it by using technology which has been proven to be harmful to customer experience yet useless at stopping piracy? Priceless.

Name one other eBook reader that doesn’t have the same problem. The iPad will still support DRM-free books in the ePub format (like from Google for example).

 

[rwilliams]

For textbooks I see DRM being necessary. Without DRM college students like myself straight up aren't going to pay for a copy when we can get it for free, especially for the college required gen-ed classes that e-textbooks are available for.

I think they'll have to be even more restrictive than usual with textbooks, meaning that they should only be good on one device. It would be way too easy to authorize a dummy iTunes account on 5 iPads so that 5 people could share one textbook.

 

[jdwhit]

DRM could be alright if ...

I do not have a problem with DRM on books in theory. In practice, maybe. I think that you should be able to do the same things with a digital book as you can with a printed book. You should be able to read it on one device (would be nice to be able to read it on three – your iPad, iPhone and a computer), easily move it to another devise an unlimited amount of times, easily loan it or gift it. For example it would be great to be able to loan the book to a friend (open software and send file on a loan for 45 days, hit send and its gone). During that time you cannot access the book and at the end of the time, it is back as a usable file in your library. You should be able to gift the book and transfer it lock stock and barrel to another’s library. If the DRM allows you the same privileges as purchasing a hard copy and no more, then it will be just fine with me. If it reduces your ownership privileges, then there needs to be some serious compensation, price adjustment or something meaningful for me to change the way I read books.

 

[rwilliams]

Apple didn't lift the "asinine DRM from the songs", the record labels did.

As the article is written, each book publisher will have the choice to use DRM on what they sell through iTunes. Or not use DRM. The point being, it's not Apple's choice what the specific publisher chooses to do.

Semantics. The point is still the same.

 

[Hurda]

What are the odds that it won't be possible to read third-party DRM-free ePubs with iBooks?

 

[citi]

What are the odds that it won't be possible to read third-party DRM-free ePubs with iBooks?

my guess, O. The restriction can only be applied to content purchased from Apple.

 

[jaw04005]

I think they'll have to be even more restrictive than usual with textbooks, meaning that they should only be good on one device. It would be way too easy to authorize a dummy iTunes account on 5 iPads so that 5 people could share one textbook.

I’m not so sure. We already know textbook publishers are going to publish their books via the App Store.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...6178.html?mod=WSJ_Small Business_IndustryNews

Which means they’re going to be subject to the same DRM rules as everyone else.

To counter this, textbook publishers will restrict access to their Web site to those with a single-use activation code only.

Textbooks have become so integrated with online services like worksheets and tests. Most of the time, you get an activation code with your textbook that authorizes you to use the publisher’s Web site to submit your homework, take tests, etc. Your homework is automatically graded and scored as set by your professor.

This will be especially relevant if they allow homework/test submission via the iPad itself.

If you don’t have access to their Web site, you’re screwed.

 

[Brometheus]

Art is something humans do after they have food, shelter, and safety.

It is essentially a hobby but it is not essential to survival.

All music, books, movies, etc. should be free as nobody should make a hobby their......"job".

Besides the internet already is forcing the issue.

Soon nobody will make a dime from art.

That may be the most unenlightened set of statements ever posted on these forums. Your perspective has implications that go way beyond the world of books. I read MacRumors ever day, but nothing has made me want to post anything, until I saw your statement. Now as I'm writing this, I realize that you were probably being sarcastic. I truly hope that you're being sarcastic, because if you're not...

 

[manhattanboy]

I'm guessing that you are the kind of person who will never produce anything original in your life that might require intellectual copyright protection. Tell you what, why don't YOU write something, compose a piece of music or write a software program, and then I'LL download it for free from the internet - see how you like that.

I'm working on it... I'll keep you posted.

Why don't we talk about something cooler in the mean time-> like how Mr. Garrison's IT has finally made it into production by Yamaha.
http://gizmodo.com/5472139/the-wheel-rider-offers-death-via-shiny-donut

[/IMG]

 

[aristobrat]

What are the odds that it won't be possible to read third-party DRM-free ePubs with iBooks?

There's already quite a few ePub readers available in the App Store, so worse case -- iBooks won't let you do it -- you've still got options.

 

[ChrisA]

I will NEVER buy a DRM'd book.

I will NEVER buy a DRM'd book.

Maybe we should get everyone to say this. Can we start an on-line list of people who will take make a pledge to NEVER buy a DRM's book.

Once people get educated about it I think they will refuse to to buy them.

It would be fun to have a public list of a million of so people that publishers can look at and see who they will never have as customers.

 

[archipellago]

fair play is more to do with locking the user to apple rather than locking out the pirates.

same as always with apple.