» Kindle brings up the PDF versus print debate again
Friday, July 17, 2009
Kindle brings up the PDF versus print debate again
This is scary: a number of Amazon Kindle owners learned buying an e-book doesn’t always mean you get to keep it. Merely because a publisher decided to change its corporate mind and stop offering certain books in electronic form, those who paid for said downloads had them automatically removed from their Kindle devices. Sure, the price of those e-books was credited to each buyer’s account by Amazon, but I’m not fond of the idea that electronic ninjas can sneak into my home and take back products I’ve legally purchased. Wow. I mean, way to kneecap the electronic medium’s struggle toward acceptance as legitimate, “tangible” product. Bravo, Amazon. Wasn’t there a signed contract between Amazon and the publisher to avoid just such a thing?
The implications for the game industry are chilling. If Wizards of the Coast had been able to reel a few of its PDFs back in like this, instead of merely pulling the plug on all further downloads a few months ago – I’m sure the company would’ve been smart enough not to do it. At least, I hope so. It’s one thing to deprive a small percentage of customers of their George Orwell books (yes, 1984 was one of the revoked titles – Big Brother loves the irony), but it’s another thing to deprive your entire fanbase of products that are out of print. After all, obscure Forgotten Realms supplements aren’t likely to be reprinted soon.
10 Responses to “Kindle brings up the PDF versus print debate again”
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Asylos Says: July 18th, 2009 at 2:17 am
Did they even give any warning? I feel bad for all the people who were in the middle of a book, and now have to track down other means to finish it.
Allan Sugarbaker Says: July 19th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Near as I can tell, there was no warning given before Amazon revoked the downloaded e-books.
dar Says: July 19th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
This is terrible and deeply disturbing.
You are right, purchasers should have known.
dar Says: July 19th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Sorry, I thought you guys stated that purchasers should have understood the possibility.
I think they should have, or at least had it plainly explained to them by Amazon.
or… maybe Amazon just did?
Scott R. Krol Says: July 20th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
The point everyone seems to be glossing over is the fact that the books pulled were found to be illegal copies that shouldn’t have been sold in the first place. I don’t think this is a sign that the Amazon e-jackboots are coming to knock down your Kindle’s door.
And yeah, I’d have to say that anyone who uses a product in which the DRM is inherently tied into the parent company should probably already be aware of the possibility. That’s one of the issues a lot of folks have with services like Steam. Sure, chances are Valve won’t go belly up but if they do guess what? Everyone is SOL with their Steam purchases.
Allan Sugarbaker Says: July 20th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Okay, yeah, it’s becoming more clear Amazon simply didn’t make sure they were dealing with the company that actually holds the rights to the Orwell books. So, A+ to Amazon for quickly covering its ass legally; D- for the manner in which it was done.
Again, for DRM or any electronic product tied to its creator, this must be making e-consumers nervous.
Asylos Says: July 21st, 2009 at 3:07 am
So how do you know if a product has DRM before you buy it?
Allan Sugarbaker Says: July 21st, 2009 at 10:32 am
In general, DRM is okay – it just keeps you from copying the DRM files you download. Copy protection for the publishers is something I can get behind. However, formats that require a continued relationship with the source (like the Amazon Kindle e-books, apparently) are the ones I’d be wary of, as you never know when the source will assert its authority and change its policies.
dar Says: July 23rd, 2009 at 8:53 pm
And it looks like there is an apology.
kjamma4 Says: August 4th, 2009 at 4:34 am
Not knowing the first thing abouy how Kindles operate, how exactly do they “take” it away from you?
Thanks in advance.