HarperCollins Wants Library EBooks to Self-Destruct After 26 Loans

Posted by Roblimo on Friday February 25, 2011 @12:34PM from the it-sounded-good-on-paper dept.

An anonymous reader writes: "HarperCollins has decided to change their agreement with e-book distributor OverDrive [and other distributors, too]. They forced OverDrive, which is a main e-book distributor for libraries, to agree to terms so that HarperCollins e-books will only be licensed for checkout 26 times. Librarians have blown up over this, calling for a boycott of HarperCollins, breaking the DRM on e-books -- basically doing anything to let HarperCollins and other publishers know they consider this abuse." Cory Doctorow, who wrote TFA, says: "For the record, all of my HarperCollins ebooks are also available as DRM-free Creative Commons downloads. And as bad as HarperCollins' terms are, they're still better than Macmillan's, my US/Canadian publisher, who don't allow any library circulation of their ebook titles."

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How about using books instead? by DogDude · 2011-02-25 12:38 · Score: 0, Flamebait

How about just keeping actual books in libraries instead? No tech support, no licensing needed. I'm really surprised that libraries, of all places, are jumping on an untested fad so quickly.

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I don't respond to AC's.
Re:OK....... by Kaz+Kylheku · 2011-02-25 13:15 · Score: 0, Flamebait

Do you also plan to pay for food with money that turns to shit within a day?
See, the thing about analogies ...