Re: Now They're Being Really Annoying

From: "Chris" 
>I don't generally get riled up. I think (hope?) that people who know me well would say that it's not in my nature.
> 
> But this immediately pushed my to a rolling boil.
> 
> <http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889452-264/harpercollins_caps_loans_on_ebook.html.csp>
> 
> So - having created and ... provided ... the ebook to a library, they are going to *actively* move to disable it after 26 checkouts!
> 
<snip>.
> 
> But this simply strikes me as publishers abusing the power of DRM because they can. Moreover, should the *publisher* vanish after selling the book, it suddenly puts the ebook on death row, scheduled to stop working once enough people look at it.
<snip>

Chris,

I don't have a particular view on this, but a couple of thoughts occur. Whether it is right or wrong to use the template of print books, it is that that is the previous experience - and there is a lot of it.

I have no idea what the average number of loans for a book is, but I recently borrowed a 1968 book which had been taken out only a few times since, before me! On the other hand one sees enough books that [when the date was stamped in them] that had more than one date label, each representing a dozen times at least. But the state of the book also suggested it might be time for honourable retirement.

The number, 26, looks a considered one. So I don't think I would criticise the publisher at this time. What I think is worth the time is for those concerned about library ebooks, as you are, to enter a discussion on how the loan system should work. Remember this - as with the author compensation scheme in Canada that you mention, which is also in operation i nthe UK and other countries - needs to take into account the dynamics of both author recompense and publishing business models.

Joseph


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