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Penguin Yanking Kindle Books From Libraries

Posted by Unknown on from the every-time-you-share-jesus-kills-a-kitten dept.

New submitter moniker writes "Penguin Group is removing Kindle ebooks from libraries using Overdrive citing 'security concerns' as a weak excuse, while most likely taking a shot at Amazon. One more example of DRM being about protecting business models, not content."

9 of 206 comments (clear)

  1. If Everything was "security"? by LostCluster · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This seems more like a grab for money from book sales than anything technical. Has there really been security leaks coming from online readers?

    1. Re:If Everything was "security"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      All forms of DRM for ebooks will always be subject to pilfering. Such is the dirty secret of DRM and the built-in excuse for companies to yank their content whenever they feel like it suits their business agenda.

      There needs to be a safe harbor for libraries where they can make an owned paper book accessible however they want, including digitally.

    2. Re:If Everything was "security"? by SpiralSpirit · · Score: 2, Interesting

      people who can strip the DRM from the books can get the books elsewhere. Those who can't most likely won't.

    3. Re:If Everything was "security"? by geminidomino · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Pretty sure they didn't, since the number of users doing it is ever-growing, and the only ones who ever even fire a synapse about the "morality" of the act are the two noisy sides who wank on about it on tech-and-game forums on the web (and the crybaby IP owners who equate not only downloading, but perfectly legitimate used sales as 'stealing'. The douche from the company that shat out 'Heavy Rain' being my recent favorite).

      The media can say whatever they're paid to say. The zeitgeist isn't with them on this one, though.

    4. Re:If Everything was "security"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      That's not the point. The point is libraries offer access to items without locking them down like you see in some of the games like Assassin's Creed (a game I will not buy (and hence not play) because of DRM bullshit).

      Borrowing material so you can "take it as your own" is wrong. It gets more DRM bullshit created, both electronic lockdowns and legal lockdowns. There already are some advocating the only way to play audiobooks is via your locked down iPhone or Android device.

      The attitude of "copyright theft is not stealing" and "copy it and have it forever" are what is driving more and more DRM and everyone loses. And what's the benefit of having stolen some audiobook?? Absolutely nothing as you can borrow it again if you want to!!

      I love MP3 audiobooks at my library. I can download them at home. I can play them in my non-DRM mp3 player. I can play them on Linux. But if the bullshit with copying continues, they will just lock these audiobooks down. Locked down and encrypted windows media only files already exist for some audiobooks - can't really use those....

      Sure, you can always illegally copy an audio file or a video and keep it forever for some reason. Always. But who ends up paying for it? Regular folks that simply want to use the library.

  2. Oh, well. Whatever. by Turmoyl · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Who cares? There is plenty of content, including new material, from more user-friendly publishers out there. Let Penguin learn from what I hope is an expensive lesson.

  3. DRM = bad by slazzy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is why I refuse to ever buy ANYTHING with drm, music, software or ebooks.

    --
    Website Just Down For Me? Find out
  4. Is it just me... by rsilvergun · · Score: 3, Interesting

    or does anyone else find it frustrating that /.ers are in favor of unlimited property rights except when they go digital? Seriously. If you just suggest that maybe, just maybe, that we as a society shouldn't allow Apple Computer to sit on 85 billion dollars then you're drowned out in a chorus of "It's THEIR money, let them spend it however they want!". But make it digital, and you've got the same people decrying the evil of buying the White Album for the 15th time.

    I guess what I'm ticked off about is, I'm watching our civilization regress to pre-Renaissance levels of wealth inequality and all anybody cares about is the Beatles...

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  5. Wrong by Burz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    they have decided to embrace a particular business model: not doing it for free.

    You are soft-pedaling a profit motive that prefers to monopolize markets. We have seen for-profit publishers associations attack people who create and use public domain, GPL and creative commons works - even attacking the very idea of the public domain in legislation and insisting that the tech sector is “mobilizing to promote ‘Copyleft’ in order to undermine our ‘Copyright.’”.

    Bodies like MPAA, RIAA, Sound Exchange, ASCAP, GEMA have taken an increasingly hostile stance toward any author who is not under contract with established publishing corps even when the content is being offered for free. People who publish under CC and public domain are being DOS'ed with undeserved DMCA and 'three strikes' notices.

    It is your mamby-pamby presentation of for-profit publishing that is idiotic.