Kindle's DRM Rears Its Ugly Head...And It IS Ugly

News Type: Opinion — Seeded on Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:29 AM EDT

Article Source: geardiary.com

technology, ipod, amazon, drm, reading, kindle

I love my Amazon Kindle. I love reading with it, I love how light it is, and I love the battery life. I also love the fact that it automatically syncs with the Amazon Kindle application
on my iPhone and iPod touch. That means any book will open to the last page read regardless of the device last used. it is an amazing bit of technology that makes reading books across multiple platforms beyond simple.

It's a perfect situation — right? Well, it's an almost perfect situation. This afternoon I discovered a huge Achilles heel in the whole Amazon Kindle environment.

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1.5

1.1

{"commentId":7796048,"authorDomain":"jedipunk"}

jedipunk

At a minimum Amazon should be absolutely upfront about this policy and Amazon should NOT be using the argument that the number of times you can download the book is up to the publisher and they have no way of controlling it or EVEN KNOWING where the ceiling is. It should say right up front, before you purchase the book,

“If you purchase this book you’ll be able to download it a total of X number of times. After that you may be required to repurchase it.”

Any kindle users that can add to this?

Not that I am in the market for a Kindle, but I have been steadfast in avoiding most DRM-ed stuff. I will not by DRM-ed music online, etc.

A Kindle is something I could get into and the new version is supposed to support PDFs.

{"commentId":7796048,"threadId":"610178","contentId":"2959678","authorDomain":"jedipunk"}

1 vote

#1 - Tue Jun 23, 2009 7:32 AM EDT

{"commentId":7796613,"authorDomain":"stu103"}

stu103

I buy computer games and have the same issue. They do not tell you until you are out of chances to download or install. I have a game that I can only install onto the original computer I installed it to. Tech reps told me I will not be allowed to install to my new computer. Some times a Microsoft update will mess with a game so I uninstall/reinstall the game and find out I cannot reinstall. EA Games is famous for this. It is getting better as computer gamers are many and well organized. The music industry has done nasty things with DRM also. Think Sony with their rootkit virus phoning home every time you played the disc. Some think the music execs really want music sold as a single use type product. One download and listen is all you would get. This "microprint" disclaimer BS is sad. Be upfront with your restictions so consumers can make informed choices. Not gonna happen though. That gets in the way of the almighty shareholder dollar. ALL HAIL THE SHAREHOLDER. The hell with the consumer. Sorry for the rant I haven't had my second cup of coffee yet.

{"commentId":7796613,"threadId":"610178","contentId":"2959678","authorDomain":"stu103"}

1 vote

#2 - Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:30 AM EDT

{"commentId":7796780,"authorDomain":"sorrelen"}

sorrelen

I have the Sony E-reader and you actually download to your hard-drive when you buy the books so you can move them as many times as you would like from your hard-drive to the device...

{"commentId":7796780,"threadId":"610178","contentId":"2959678","authorDomain":"sorrelen"}

1 vote

#3 - Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:43 AM EDT

{"commentId":7801054,"authorDomain":"jsbach"}

jsbach

I only wish I could afford one.

{"commentId":7801054,"threadId":"610178","contentId":"2959678","authorDomain":"jsbach"}

1 vote

#4 - Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:03 PM EDT

{"commentId":7818668,"authorDomain":"rainkiss"}

Rainkiss

I've got a Kindle, but I've never downloaded a book more than once. If I need to clear them to make room for new stuff (hasn't happened yet, and I'm over 750 books and counting), I'll just hook the Kindle up to my laptop with the USB cable and save 'em on a hard drive, and load them back when I want 'em. I didn't know about this, it SHOULD be on the purchase page.

{"commentId":7818668,"threadId":"610178","contentId":"2959678","authorDomain":"rainkiss"}

#5 - Wed Jun 24, 2009 9:39 AM EDT

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"610178","isPrivate":false}

JEDIPUNK

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Kindle's DRM Rears Its Ugly Head...And It IS Ugly

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