[free-sklyarov] ebook restrictions

[Jeanne A. E. DeVoto]

At 3:44 AM -0700 8/8/2001, Tom wrote:
>I will be holding a speech on DeCSS at HAL2001 and I plan to skip
>ebooks shortly, comparing them to DVDs.

Semantic quibble: if you're talking specifically about the Adobe
restricted-use eBook format, might be best to be as specific as possible to
avoid confusion with electronic books generally.

Open-format ebooks (such as those currently making money for Baen Books,
available at <www.baen.com> in HTML, RTF, and other formats) are useful to
the consumer and money-making for the publisher, require no bizarre legal
constructions outlawing examination of them, require no $$$ technical
"solutions" to lock out fair use, and should not be confused with the Adobe
eBook format, nor should the many drawbacks of that format be imputed to
all ebooks.

Part of our point when discussing the DMCA is, or should be, that it is not
needed in order to bring ebooks to the market in ways that make money for
the publishers.

--
jeanne a. e. devoto ~ jaed at jaedworks.com
http://www.jaedworks.com