DRM Infected ??
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There's a group of people who are very opposed to DRM (digital rights management) and the fact that Kindle books have DRM protection. They also aren't too excited about the Kindle. Anyway, they have created a bunch of tags, such as DRM infected, that they slap on all Kindle books -- their idea is that by tagging them, more people will become aware of DRM issue and join their bandwagon. Or something like that. It is sort of a virtual protest. At least, that's my understanding.
If you buy a Kindle book from Amazon, your Kindle is not going to be infected or affected. The tags are just the way a group of people are voicing their displeasure over DRM.
L
If you buy a Kindle book from Amazon, your Kindle is not going to be infected or affected. The tags are just the way a group of people are voicing their displeasure over DRM.
L
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on the Amazon site when looking through the kindle books.
I tried to google the terms but can't really get an answer. I got something to the effect that they are on public domain books. Basically the books you can get for free from other sites. But the ones Amazon sells (for like .99 cents) say this at the bottom. I want to know if I download this from a free site, that if it is DRM infected, it will still be OK to use.
I tried to google the terms but can't really get an answer. I got something to the effect that they are on public domain books. Basically the books you can get for free from other sites. But the ones Amazon sells (for like .99 cents) say this at the bottom. I want to know if I download this from a free site, that if it is DRM infected, it will still be OK to use.
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I guess to state is simply, and please correct me if I wrong. DRM ensures that the book will only be able to be read on a specific eReader. When you buy a book from Amazon they encode that book you bought with a specific ID assigned to your Kindle. By doing this the book can only be opened and read on that device. There is a lot of controversy about doing this. It is also done to some mp3 you buy from various suppliers. OKI, school is over, go home. 
jp
jp
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The term "Defective by Design" was coined - or perhaps appropriated - by the Free Software Foundation in order to publicize their position that DRM (Digital Rights Management) is inherently a misguided approach to protecting content. The term "DRM Infected" is a more generic term used by many different adherents of the anti-DRM position.
It's worth pointing out that the campaign against DRM is hardly limited to ebooks. Perhaps the most widespread use of DRM has been made by Apple with their protected AAC files, which made of the vast majority of songs available via iTunes until relatively recently. Other examples include computer and console games as well as DVD's.
It's worth pointing out that the campaign against DRM is hardly limited to ebooks. Perhaps the most widespread use of DRM has been made by Apple with their protected AAC files, which made of the vast majority of songs available via iTunes until relatively recently. Other examples include computer and console games as well as DVD's.
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When it comes to the "free" books, I suspect it's also a protest that Amazon is enforcing DRM on titles that are in the public domain. There's no reason for any book that can be gotten from Project Gutenberg should have any sort of DRM on it... Not when you can get it really for free, and with no restrictions.
EDIT: 50 posts! BOOSH!
EDIT: 50 posts! BOOSH!
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Right. I think it's the process that Amazon uses to make Kindle books -- DRM is built-in and not something that can be turned on or off. It's there. But, like you said, if the book is free elsewhere, go and get it elsewhere. Nothing is stopping anyone from doing that. I've actually paid for a book from Amazon that I know I could have gotten free, but there is a convenience factor involved, plus having it archived in my Amazon library. But this was a conscious decision, not an Amazon scheme foisted on me.akjak said:
AND: 50 posts! Congrats! And somewhere along the line, I hit 6K! Wowza!
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Probably you don't have to worry about getting virused from a site like Project Gutenburg or manybooks.com or feedbooks. However, you should probably note that there are sites where you can get ebooks (or movies or music or anything else that can be digified) where the material is not legal and the sources aren't trustworthy. But then, those sites won't be advocated here and I don't think that type of site will advertise in reputable places, which means the sites will be far more difficult to find, and will almost eliminate the possibility that you just happen into one. And frankly, sites offering books that have expired into the public domain that are doing it for the public good (like Gutenburg) can't afford to give out virused material. They work on grants and volunteer donations (not to mention volunteer time) and don't need the bad publicity that would cause. And certainly it wouldn't help further widespread use of ebooks.
And DRM is simply a way for a publisher to manage access to digital content, to keep it from being disseminated to the detriment of the publisher. It's a little like if you buy a hard cover book: you can sell your copy, or give it away, or donate it to the library, but you can't expect to profit from it after that. You couldn't sell the book, then expect the buyer to pay you a percentage if they go on to sell it. CDs and DVDs are the same way. You own it, but you can't profit from it, and your rights as an owner are somewhat limited in the ways you can use it and view it.
And DRM is simply a way for a publisher to manage access to digital content, to keep it from being disseminated to the detriment of the publisher. It's a little like if you buy a hard cover book: you can sell your copy, or give it away, or donate it to the library, but you can't expect to profit from it after that. You couldn't sell the book, then expect the buyer to pay you a percentage if they go on to sell it. CDs and DVDs are the same way. You own it, but you can't profit from it, and your rights as an owner are somewhat limited in the ways you can use it and view it.
There are two sides to DRM. On the one hand the use of DRM restricts, to a degree, illegal copying. On the other hand, it also restricts the legal and proper rights of the purchaser. Just to name a few of the disadvantages of DRM to we consumers: we cannot sell books we've purchased but no longer want to keep. Amazon restricts us to reading our Amazon purchased books on a Kindle, iPhone, or iPod though we will probably see the list grow. I inherited a large library from my Grandfather but my heirs will, at least for now, be unable to inherit my Kindle books. Frankly put, we are now at the mercy of Amazon and at any time the company might decide to get out of the eBook business and shut down its computers. We've already seen several digital music stores do exactly that.
Given all these restrictions it isn't hard to understand why many people are very against DRM.
Given all these restrictions it isn't hard to understand why many people are very against DRM.
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I've never understood why everyone rants so much about Amazon and DRM....DRM has been on ebooks of various formats since long before Kindle, and other ebook readers and ebook stores not dedicated to specific readers also *still* have DRM on them. It's not just Kindle/Amazon. There are books with DRM on them that can't even be read by Kindle because of the DRM. How come nobody bitches about that? Instead they only bitch about "oh my gawd, Amazon might go out of business so the Kindle is an evil evil thing."
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Though Amazon might go out of business, and that would probably mean that our books would be unusable, that's a minor concern. The bigger concern is that with DRM, I cannot read my book on my laptop. And if I go through 6 Kindles, I have to buy the book again to download it to the seventh. In an attempt to address copyright infringement, DRM tilts things too far away from the interests of the consumers and too far in the direction of the convenience of the publisher.Steph H said:I've never understood why everyone rants so much about Amazon and DRM....DRM has been on ebooks of various formats since long before Kindle, and other ebook readers and ebook stores not dedicated to specific readers also *still* have DRM on them. It's not just Kindle/Amazon. There are books with DRM on them that can't even be read by Kindle because of the DRM. How come nobody bitches about that? Instead they only bitch about "oh my gawd, Amazon might go out of business so the Kindle is an evil evil thing."![]()
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I wonder how long they will keep using DRM. I bet its a matter of time before they will come out with some alternative system.
The DRM doesn't bother me at all, in fact - i think it is understandable.
coyote - if you go through 6 kindles, you will not have to rebuy the book. CS has already reset the licesence for people that have had that issue (hopefully they will come up with an easy way to do that, one the user can do).
As for sharing or giving the books - until they come up with a way to make sure that it is deleted from the original kindle (and can you imagine the mightmare of tracking it if the books pases through many hands), then they would be crazy to allow it. Way to many would simply give a copy while keeping the file themselves. That is one of the issues with digital media.
I think Amazon is doing a fiarly good job of protecting thier interests, the authors (and publishers0 and the end-users.
coyote - if you go through 6 kindles, you will not have to rebuy the book. CS has already reset the licesence for people that have had that issue (hopefully they will come up with an easy way to do that, one the user can do).
As for sharing or giving the books - until they come up with a way to make sure that it is deleted from the original kindle (and can you imagine the mightmare of tracking it if the books pases through many hands), then they would be crazy to allow it. Way to many would simply give a copy while keeping the file themselves. That is one of the issues with digital media.
I think Amazon is doing a fiarly good job of protecting thier interests, the authors (and publishers0 and the end-users.
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