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Old-Fashioned DRM Protects Harry Potter Book

Posted by timothy on from the but-is-it-a-good-book dept.

RMX writes "The Telegraph has a nice article about the steps that Scholastic is taking to protect the content of the print version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. They're delivering 10.8 million copies and need to ensure that this content isn't accessable by anyone before midnight. Technology includes high-tech (GPS to monitor delivery trucks progress and check that they did not deviate or stop.), low-tech (steel boxes & locks), social engineering notes (crates stacked up in the warehouses of delivery companies across America are marked: Please Do Not Open Before Midnight), and legal threats (As a final layer of security, booksellers have been forced to sign legal forms acknowledging that if they break the embargo, they will never again be supplied with a book by Scholastic). Think how much cheaper and easier it would be if they just used an E-book s with DRM. I'm all for Harry Potter protecting his rights; but it seems we keep getting closer and closer to the world described in Stallman's visionary The Right To Read article."

12 of 513 comments (clear)

  1. They shoulda used... by cloudofstrife · · Score: 5, Funny
    Magic! If Harry Potter is making so much money off of these books, he could spare a spell or two to protect the books from being read before the time they go on sale.

    inanicus librarius!

  2. Security at the press by a_greer2005 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I have heard from someone who eould know first hand that security at the print facility, secuity is insainly tight. random person searches, tons of cameras, lots of extra guards, it is like Fort Knox.

  3. Counter Charm by pete-classic · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well, I certainly hope they thought to use a counter-charm for Alohomora.

    -Peter

  4. Re:Red paper? by xXBondsXx · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's Harry Potter, not Satan's bible!

    --
    The voice of the next generation. "In this tower, in my mind..." Babble - Tower
  5. Holy ... by cobrabyte · · Score: 2, Funny


    Has Steve Jobs taken up a position at Scholastic?

    Thought he was the only man to go to such extremes.

    -c

  6. Out of Touch with Reality? by Quirk · · Score: 4, Funny
    "I'm all for Harry Potter protecting his rights; but it seems we keep getting closer and closer to the world described in Stallman's visionary The Right To Read article."

    Just a little nit to pick but... uhm you see Harry Potter is a fictional character. J. Rawlings in the author of the Harry Potter books and she is protecting her rights. Now as to Richard Stallman being real or a work of visionary fiction, well, that is a moot point.

    --
    "Academicians are more likely to share each other's toothbrush than each other's nomenclature."
    Cohen
  7. Re:It's not DRM, nor would I buy it if it was. by minus_273 · · Score: 3, Funny

    that was a reasonable post that made a lot of sense. It also goes against the tone of the discussion here. Expected to get falmed.

    --
    The war with islam is a war on the beast
    The war on terror is a war for peace
  8. Re:Er? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Let's see, say a hardcover versions weights two pounds, thats, what, $15,000 or so worth of gold? I am sure you could sell one for more than that right now, today.

    Perhaps, but unlike Harry Potter books, gold will always be worth its weight in gold.

  9. Re:legal notices by PurpleFloyd · · Score: 2, Funny
    The special covering? Inside sources* tell me it's a special technology known as a "plain brown bag," which has been used to cover printed material for more than half a century.

    First time it's ever been used on anything intended for children, though.

    * Not really.

    --

    That's it. I'm no longer part of Team Sanity.
  10. Predicting a Future AP Story by mac+os+ken · · Score: 2, Funny
    "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was leaked to the public in (city) by (bookstore worker/six year old/daylight savings time error) thereby inciting (riots/the apocalypse/spontaneous seppuku) at a local (bookstore/adult store/comic bookery)."

    Just watch the papers people...

    --
    .deviatefromtheabsolute.
  11. Re:Jumping on the bandwagon by mrscorpio · · Score: 2, Funny

    Leave it to Timothy, the uncontested king of stupid editors here. Seriously, he's a fucktard.

  12. Re:If I ran a book shop by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    If I ran a book shop, I'd plaster the shop front with Harry Potter posters announcing that I was opening the shop at 00:01am next Saturday to start selling the book then just not turn up to open the shop.

    I'd just turn up at the back of the crowd somewhere with a digital camera taking pictures of all the spoilt brats screaming at their parents at 1am, when they finally decide to give up queuing.

    All the more fun if it's pouring with rain then also...