[free-sklyarov] Digital Rights Management for Ebooks: Publisher Requirements

[tom poe]

On Tuesday 25 September 2001 01:01, Vladimir Katalov wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Worth reading (subj):
>
> http://www.publishers.org/home/drm.pdf
>
> Guess who is the author... AAP, of course ;)
>
> /Vladimir
> vkatalov at elcomsoft.com


Hi:  You know, Vladimir, if you take this, rework it to substitute the 
phrase, "publisher" for "e-book digital r--- management", it becomes crystal 
clear that no attempt to lower publishing costs has been attempted.  Rather, 
a blatant attempt to take control of digital publishing, and keep it in the 
hands of the few.  Amazing.  Didn't even bother to try and snow the Public.  
I guess they figured noone will read it.  I went to the page about 
distribution and "why not just one standard", and vomited about paragraph 3.

I have noticed that the increased use of pdf is a tradeoff.  I personally 
have no patience to wait for this crap to download and get all set to display 
an 8KB article.  But first, 250KB of pdf nonsense must take place.  At some 
point, the rich will all have broadband connections, so they won't notice.  
But what about the developing countries?  Talk about wiping out the "digital 
divide".  It's a blimy chasm, dropping straight into a "Black Hole" for 
crying out loud.  Who the hell are these jerks?

It appears, for what it's worth, that they accept the notion that PC's will 
be around for some time, and that vendors must be able to compete.  The 
result is, there will be multiple e-book reading devices on some PC's.  Looks 
like I envisioned, incorrectly, of course, that there was a PLAN, which would 
simply have manufacturers agree on what pieces of the pie they wanted, and 
make a selection of devices for Internet access, e-book commerce, token 
information kiosks, etc.  A world of embedded appliances, if-you-will.  And, 
the PC disappears for all practical purposes.  Looks like, maybe, just maybe, 
laws notwithstanding, that greed and stupidity will rule the day, and Open 
Source will be assured a long and productive future.

I wonder just how Public libraries, Public agencies, and businesses in the 
private sector are going to react when the real costs of DRM begin to 
surface.  Dmitry's arrest is even more farcical [sic] when you think about 
what he represents to the AAP.  Not a pirate.  Simply one of the vendors that 
would legitimately be competing in their "view of the world to come".  
Interoperability and circumvention are synonymous terms in relation to DRM.  
Amazing.  Can't wait 'til this point is driven home in Court.

END RANT    Tom