Calculating The DRM Tax On A Kindle
from the important-decision-making-tools dept
Via EFF comes this rather interesting calculation of the DRM tax of owning an Amazon Kindle. It’s not a definitive number, as it would differ for different people based on what kinds of books they buy, how often and how many of those books they’d like to keep. But it’s a good little thought experiment for those looking to buy a Kindle. The key recognition, of course, is that with a Kindle ebook you’re renting, not buying the books:
There is one other problem with DRM protected books. When the reading device reaches its end of life, you have to assume all the content you purchased will be lost. If, for instance, I went with a Kindle, all of the content I purchase can be used only on devices supported by Amazon.
When, several years later, it comes time to replace that Kindle I may get a new Kindle — but I can’t assume that. Maybe somebody else will have a better device at that time. Or, maybe Amazon went bankrupt or evil or stupid and I need to switch to another vendor. There are any number of reasons I might like to switch my e-reader. If I do, I have to assume I won’t be able to use any of the content I purchased for the Kindle.
Thanks to DRM, when my e-reader reaches its end of life, I will have to pay to acquire replacement books for the material that’s locked out of the new e-reader. I call the amount of that purchase the “DRM tax” — an added cost imposed by DRM restrictions.
He’s quite fair in calculating his own personal DRM tax, noting that he probably wouldn’t want to rebuy all the books, but just a portion of them. He also knows that ebooks are cheaper. But, in the end, he realizes that this DRM tax makes the total cost of ownership of a Kindle much higher for him than just buying the physical books — even if it’s more of a pain to have to sometimes lug them around. In his case, he would use it mainly for technical books, which is a different situation than, say, recreational novel reading, where “ownership” may be less important. Still, he feels that the DRM issue is a problem and a serious hidden cost:
Maybe someday Amazon (and publishers) will realize how much harm they are doing with DRM. If the DRM tax was removed, not only would more people get e-readers, but also, thanks to the low friction of e-book purchasing, they’d buy more e-content.
This is actually a key point. Just the fact that he had to run through this calculation to determine if a Kindle made sense is a serious amount of friction. If Amazon made this calculation easy (i.e., no DRM tax) that would lead to more sales.
Filed Under: drm, drm tax, ebooks, kindle, tax
Companies: amazon
Comments on “Calculating The DRM Tax On A Kindle”
No sale around here
Yep. The DRM, as well as the ability for Amazon to remotely remove content, is precisely why I will not purchase a Kindle, which of course means I will not purchase any of the content. It is also the reason that none of my technophile friends have or will purchase Kindles.
Re: No sale around here
Yeah, pretty much ditto that. Obviously, few of us will carry through on the ‘mental tax’ to the extent that the author did, but the fact that it exists is enough to scare us off.
Re: No sale around here
How many publishers/authors would support non-DRM content from Amazon? Very few. But given some time for people to adjust I think amazon will do away with DRM (you can use apple’s itune store as an example here).
Re: Re: No sale around here
Perhaps the traditional publishers balk over non-DRM, but independents don’t. I sell my titles through Amazon, but I offer them DRM free too.
Kindle owners aren’t locked into buying Amazon only Kindle content.
Try Smashwords.com. DRM free formats, including .mobi for the Kindle.
Barring that, most ereaders seem capable of displaying PDF files; so buy non-DRM PDFs!
Re: Re: Re: No sale around here
“Barring that, most ereaders seem capable of displaying PDF files; so buy non-DRM PDFs!”
This is what I do. Only I actually prefer plain old text files to PDFs (PDFs have tons of usability issues that bug me, so I end up extracting the text from them anyway, which is a bit of a pain.) I have a number of devices that I use to read them, depending on my circumstances.
Still not going to buy a Kindle, though. Why should I? The advantages of it aren’t significant enough to justify the expense, and I don’t want to reward Amazon for a distribution system that I view as fundamentally flawed.
Making a ton of assumptions
I have to say that this guy pretty much selects all worst case scenarios to make his point. The only one he didn’t specifically hit was “what if Amazon suddenly blows up tomorrow”.
DRM in and of itself doesn’t preclude a replacement device. There is no indication at this point that, if the Kindle reaches it’s end of life, that Amazon will not permit some sort of transfer to another reader.
Heck, we are less than a couple of years total into the whole concept, and the market isn’t even truly formed up yet.
It’s very premature to be considering things only in this manner.
Re: Making a ton of assumptions
Material purchased for the Kindle only works on the Kindle. You’ve missed that basic point.
Re: Re: Making a ton of assumptions
No, you missed the point. There is that little thing called “for now”.
Things have a way of changing, you know, evolution and all. It is a poor businessman that makes future plans assuming that todays’ conditions will remain the same for the years to come.
Re: Re: Re: Making a ton of assumptions
> No, you missed the point. There is that little thing called
> “for now”.
> Things have a way of changing, you know, evolution and all.
> It is a poor businessman that makes future plans assuming
> that todays’ conditions will remain the same for the years to
> come.
It’s even more foolish to invest an assload of money into a book library that you know you can’t currently transfer to another device in the hope that maybe that situation will change in the future, especially in the face of the fact that every facet of the entertainment industry is constantly pushing for more restrictive IP laws and devices.
Re: Re: Re: Making a ton of assumptions
> No, you missed the point. There is that little thing called
> “for now”.
> Things have a way of changing, you know, evolution and all.
> It is a poor businessman that makes future plans assuming
> that todays’ conditions will remain the same for the years to
> come.
It’s even more foolish to invest an assload of money into a book library that you know you can’t currently transfer to another device in the hope that maybe that situation will change in the future, especially in the face of the fact that every facet of the entertainment industry is constantly pushing for more restrictive IP laws and devices.
Re: Making a ton of assumptions
But, he did make the point. when the kindle reaches it’s end of life, what if the successor device is from google and doesn’t support kindle content? With my non-DRM ebooks that’s not an issue. I just port them over to the new device. Therefore for some of those books that I like, I will have to buy them again if I use the Kindle
Re: Making a ton of assumptions
That is the whole point-the customer should not have to depend on Amazon CHOOSING to permit a transfer. With normal books, a customer can access them forever (depending on binding quality and other issues) and no one can stop them. The Kindle doesn’t work that way. Trading one product with a feature (freedom) for another without that feature doesn’t seem like a good idea.
Re: Making a ton of assumptions
Once again, your ideas are simply to tiring to even bother with finishing your post.
Re: Making a ton of assumptions
Either you are kidding, been living under a rock or maybe you believe in fairies. These companies don’t want you to be able to use your lawfully purchased content any where else so you are stuck with their products no matter which direction (good or bad) they go. It is money for them if they lock you into their brand that they won’t make if you can run off and buy a Sony or Samsung. Oh, and just in case you think it hasn’t happened yet, check out the EA solution to downloaded and DRMed content.
do you know tax in Indonesia?,…i wish you have any idea about it…
That's true, but you can remove the DRM
I hate DRM as much as the next guy, but I’m not willing to fight the good fight with all the stuff I wish to buy. That’s why I just buy the books I want from whatever eBook vendor is cheapest or most convenient at the time, them remove the DRM. Amazon, Barnes and Noble and ereader.com all have DRM that is easily removable with simple python scripts available [on the internet].
I’d like to be a digital warrior and refuse to buy anything with DRM, but I’m more practically wired and just think its easier to remove the DRM and make sure what I buy is mine. Eventually eBook DRM will go the way of music DRM, as most any eBook you want is already available through normal pirate channels, just like music. The only thing that keeps me buying rather than pirating is my respect for the authors and my desire to see them get their fair share.
Re: That's true, but you can remove the DRM
Aren’t you circumventing? Isn’t that a potential violation of DMCA?
Re: Re: That's true, but you can remove the DRM
Yeah, so sue me.
Kindle DRM
I would have bought several Kindles by now if the books were not copy-protected (DRM’ed). As it is, I have bought none. I imagine there are a few hundred thousand other Amazon customers who feel the same way.
I, too, will not buy a Kindle or any of their content until the DRM is removed. So far no one has confiscated any of my physical books, and I can loan one to a friend without giving him the whole library.
The hardware replacement issue didn’t even occur to me, yet, since I don’t intend to buy one, but if we replace our computers every two years, I can see the Kindle being a very expensive way to lose one’s assets over and over. At least when I replace my computer, I can save the data on the disk even if I buy a different brand or build my own.
Re: Re:
What you don’t get is that your book is DRM’ed, you just aren’t thinking about it in the right way.
You can’t easily duplicate your book. You can’t lend it to someone and read it at the same time. If you sell it, you can’t keep a copy. Damn thing is so restrictive, it’s shocking that anyone buys anything on paper.
Worse, get it a little bit wet, and it is ruined, the dog might eat it, the kids might destroy it, and heaven help us if you get it near a flame.
Damn, talk about restrictive!
Re: Re: Re:
An inconvenient format does not equate with legally enforced access control.
When it becomes against the law to read a paper book without using a pair of reading glasses blessed by the publisher, then you can start comparing the two.
Re: Re: Re:
You can’t read paper mail 10 seconds after it’s written! You have to wait for a week or more until it is delivered. So, with your logic, it makes sense if someone creates a law that prohibits electronic mail to be delivered faster than snail mail, so they should just hold your message for a week before sending it to your inbox.
Damn, talk about restrictive!
Re: Re: Re:
and yet again using the very ideas that you decry as being theft in order to back up your (wrong) assertions.
no, you can not lend your book to someone else and read it at the same time, but in your DRM’d version of the world that you have been very clear about pushing, you cant do that with an electronic version of the book either since that would be considered piracy.
but thats ok, dont let any facts get in the way of your arguments (like you ever do anyway).
if it gets wet… hey guess what, your ereader isnt going to do well in a bath tub either… and in this case my book might get wrinkled up (i have dropped a book in the bathtub once) but your e-reader will be completely toasted and, you will then have to rebuy all your books because *RIGHT NOW* because of the DRM issue.
the dog pees on my book thats one dead dog…
the dog pees on your e-reader… imma givin that dog a box of milk bones… good puppy! (by the way, my book? while stinky and gross would still be readable… how bout your electronic thing after a good st bernard hose-down?)
get the book near a flame… well flames and paper do not mix very well true…
but then, plastic and flames dont mix all that well either.
you really should put the crack pipe down….
Re: Re: Re: Re:
because *RIGHT NOW* because of the DRM issue
blargh.. nice typo…
Re: Re: Re: Re:
you can not lend your book to someone else and read it at the same time, but in your DRM’d version of the world that you have been very clear about pushing, you cant do that with an electronic version of the book either since that would be considered piracy.
but thats ok, dont let any facts get in the way of your arguments
it’s my point exactly. The paper version has a whole bunch of physical restrictions on it, and DRM pretty much just mimics those restrictions. Nobody is bitching and saying they aren’t going to buy paper back books because they can’t share them. It’s a fact of the purchase, you get a single copy, lifetime license. DRM and paper copy, it’s the same thing.
the dog pees on your e-reader… imma givin that dog a box of milk bones… good puppy! (by the way, my book? while stinky and gross would still be readable… how bout your electronic thing after a good st bernard hose-down?)
I get the e-reader fixed, go back online with Amazon, and redownload all the books that I have a single copy, lifetime license for. You can enjoy your stinky book, and I will enjoy my nicely cleaned and repaired reader.
There is no crack pipe here. On the other hand, you may want to check for empty koolaid cups around your computer before posting next time.
Re: Re: Re:
This is one of your worst attempts yet Anti-Mike. I enjoy reading your spin on things most of the time, you play a good devils advocate. This time though? Not so much, I serious cannot believe you think the author of the linked article doesn’t have a point.
It’s common sense! Even you must be able to see the “other side” of the argument every once in a while.
Re: Re: Re:
Troll-TAM strikes again. He has no common sense, or sense of reality for that matter. Ignore all his arguments, he’s dead wrong and he knows it.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Disregard that. I suck cocks!
Re: Re: Re:2 Re:
Well, troll-TAM might, I don’t know. No one really knows what he does…
It is more than just DRM
This is definitely a compelling argument of the inherit disadvantage of DRM. While I agree with it I would take it one step further and point out this is a problem with all digital works not just DRM’ed ones.
Digital works are not a stand alone product. They requires several layers of software and hardware to even exist. I think just about everyone has had a computer crash or die on them at some point and they know what I am talking about.
What is the real value of a product that can be deleted accidentally or lost due to a hard drive crash? Even if you could re-download it that still takes time, and depending on your connection a lot of time.
I would argue that even non-DRM’ed products are worth far less than physical property. I would suggest a 1/10 or 1/20 pricing ratio for products that have been digitized.
I think people are absolutely insane for placing such high values on things like software and digital works. Especially with software that tends to have a life cycle of just a few years. Could you imagine buying a tool set for $500 just to find out it is obsolete or won’t work with new parts just a few years later?
Placing such a high value on 1’s and 0’s is not only asinine, it borders on a complete lack of critical thinking IMHO.
Re: It is more than just DRM
> I think people are absolutely insane for placing such high values on things like software and digital works.
…
> Placing such a high value on 1’s and 0’s is not only asinine, it borders on a complete lack of critical thinking IMHO.
If you don’t think software and digital works are worth the high value, don’t buy them. On the other hand, if you have ever tried *creating* software or digital works, you would understand that the effort is not trivial.
Re: Re: It is more than just DRM
First, as a general principle, our economy doesn’t seem to reward based of effort expended.
There seem to be many hard working people out there that are paid poorly.
Is that right? Probably not.
Is it the way it is? Arguably, yes.
Second, like it or not, courts have generally provided that the sweat of the brow is not a very valid framework for intellectual property.
Re: It is more than just DRM
If everyone thought like you do, we will all still be using punch card computers. You aren’t JUST paying for “1’s and 0’s”, but for the time and skill people put behind the 1’s and 0’s. Books don’t magically come into being, people have to write them, edit them, and all that. Software, also, needs to be written and ever few years improved. A piece of software’s price is determined by how long/hard it was to make, how much people want it, and how much time/money it can save people.
For your sake, I hope you never bought a video game system (they need to be replaced every few years!), a cellphone, a computer, any form of digital music (CDs or mp3s), or a dvd/bluray player. I also hope you never misplace or damage anything you do own. It’s much harder to backup physical items instead of digital ones.
Re: It is more than just DRM
They requires several layers of software and hardware to even exist.
And if you don’t have the required hardware, that is a disadvantage to the digital format. If you already have the hardware anyway, and the data format is open and popular, you can pretty much count on being able to access the file(s).
I think just about everyone has had a computer crash or die on them at some point and they know what I am talking about. What is the real value of a product that can be deleted accidentally or lost due to a hard drive crash?
That is what backups are for. If you can’t afford the money to back up your data, and you can’t afford to lose the data, then you can’t afford to keep it digitally. If you can do backups but choose not to, you get what’s coming to you. If you do backups and lose your files, it’s a minor inconvenience. Certainly it’s better than losing a physical product (left it in a taxi or what have you).
I think people are absolutely insane for placing such high values on things like software and digital works.
My impression is most of the big money spent on those things is spent by companies on software, and the money is really for support, not the zeros and ones. Unless you consider 99 cents a lot of money. In other words, I think most people really don’t place a very high price on digital goods.
“Placing such a high value on 1’s and 0’s is not only asinine, it borders on a complete lack of critical thinking IMHO.”
This, a thousand times this.
e Reading is still at infancy stage.
Think we have to realize that e Reading is still at infancy stage. If we make it more complicated than what it should be, it may kill the market penetration inertia.
Just my 2 cents here.
Amazon.com is what broke the music DRM when they started their DRM-free music store. This is what prompted other MP3 stores, and eventually iTunes, to turn away from DRM.
I am sure they are working on doing the same for the Kindle.
Yeah, but Amazon *does* support other devices.
>>When the reading device reaches its end of life, you have to assume all the content you purchased will be lost.
Although I’m not a proponent of DRM or Amazon’s ebook policies, this statement is patently absurd.
It’s easy enough to read kindle books legally without owning a kindle, using either a free PC or iTouch/iPhone readers.
If you are going to argue against DRM (and please continue to do so) at least do it with informed articles.
Re: Yeah, but Amazon *does* support other devices.
That is the point. AMAZON supports other devices. It is still Amazon software that one must have. One still must go through Amazon.
No to DRM on ebooks
I purchase a lot of ebooks, but I refuse to purchase any with drm encumberment. The publisher I buy from does not put drm on any of their books, and they allow you to download in a number of formats, for palm/kindle, sony, html, etc. Cost? $6 USD for most books. $15 USD for advanced reader copies of books not yet “officially” published. Right now, my collection is approaching 200 books. No, Amazon and the rest have received $0 from me for ebooks, and almost $0 for hard copy. Yet someone has received almost $1200 USD from me in the past 2 years. You do the math…
Re: No to DRM on ebooks
Well, spaceman spiff, why are you holding out? Tell us who your book provider is so we can all buy our books from them.
Anything you can't sell, you don't own.
When the Kindle was announced, it was an immediately dead letter for me because it only allowed you to download their “books” to their reader and that content was locked to the device with no provision to sell or give away your copy. The analogy I used to explain it to a friend was it was like buying books from Borders that could only be stored on an approved Borders-supplied bookcase and that you couldn’t lend them to anyone, sell them, donate them to a church book sales, etc., and if you ever wanted a bigger bookcase, you’d have to throw away all the original books to buy again for the new shelves.
The same goes for just about every form of digital media. I can trade in my old CDs or DVDs or videogames for cash or credit toward new ones. I can lend the same discs to a friend to listen/watch/play, but the versions I’ve bought from iTunes, Amazon, or Xbox Live Games on Demand are permanently stuck to me with no option to unload for any reason. Every buy a crappy CD/DVD/game that you couldn’t wait to unload and recoup some of your investment? In the all-virtual wares world being crammed down our throats – yet some love in the name of false “convenience” – you’re stuck.
This is particularly galling with services like Steam where games are tied to accounts. If they know you’ve got a copy of Call of Warfare: Modern Duty 3 on your account so you can download it to as many computers as you want, there’s no practical reason why they can’t note that your copy now belongs to someone else’s account because you sold it. Sure, savvy h4X0rZ would find ways to copy the cached files and supply cracked exes to run the pirated warez, but they’re doing it already. Imagine if Steam offered the ability for people to “sell” their games thru the system to other Steam users, taking a cut from the transactions, but otherwise just keeping the books. That’d sell MORE games, I’d wager, but since it’s too fair and sensical, it’ll never happen.
Re: Anything you can't sell, you don't own.
Yes, BUT the physical copies (CDs, DVDs, games) take up space in your house and the digital copies do not. The need to dispose of them is far less.
When the digital copies reside on a distant server somewhere, the need to clean them out is even less pressing.
The physical copies cost money to manufacture and distribute; the digital copies have nearly zero marginal costs for duplication/distribution.
So, while we demand that content producers lower the prices for digital copies because of those lower distribution costs, we still demand that we be able to *resell* those digital copies, copies that we know have *zero* value because they are digital? I think that is wanting to have our cake and eat it too.
Time for *everyone* to rethink the concept of “ownership”!
Re: Re: Anything you can't sell, you don't own.
I think Amazon would disagree that digital copies have zero value. That is why Amazon uses DRM.
2 down, 1 to go
Or, maybe Amazon went bankrupt or evil or stupid and I need to switch to another vendor.
– evil, check
– stupid, check
– bankrupt…
Amazon E-books accessible by account not just by device
Please investigate Amazon’s policies and clarify them: Amazon E-books are not linked to a specific device but to a specific account.
Your “ownership” of the Ebook is not just the digital copy on your device, it is registered at Amazon as “yours” to access there again in the future. Amazon calls your Kindle account “your library.” You can also back up your E-books on your computer. Books can be shared between Kindles that are registered to the same account. Up to six devices can be used on one account. An upgraded Kindle registered to your account will be able to access E-books you accessed on an older Kindle.
You will not lose your E-books if you lose your Kindle.
This complicates the “rental” vs. “purchase” analogy. Instead of buying a physical copy, you are buying permanent access to digital data on a server somewhere, which is not really a “rental” relationship because it doesn’t “expire” (unless Amazon does). Given that you always run the risk of losing your physical copy (whoops, left it on the plane!), having permanent access to a digital version could actually be a *more* permanent form of acquisition!
Re: Amazon E-books accessible by account not just by device
“You will not lose your E-books if you lose your Kindle.”
Yup. You just need to buy another Kindle.
Re: Re: Amazon E-books accessible by account not just by device
…and if you lose your laptop, you lose all your files and you can’t get them back.
1-0 Kindle
If you have a bag full of books, and you lose it, you can’t get them back.
2-0 Kindle
Your house catches fire, and all your books are lost. Insurance gives you money to replace your kindle.
3-0 Kindle
we could go on, but I think you get the point. There are pluses and minuses to everything.
Re: Amazon E-books accessible by account not just by device
“Instead of buying a physical copy, you are buying permanent access to digital data on a server somewhere”
It’s like the people who bought permanent access to music from the online Walmart music store then…?
Re: Amazon E-books accessible by account not just by device
This would be correct except Amazon limits the numbers of devices you can download onto (just like Adobe Digital Editions does for ePub), around 6 is the norm. If you replace/upgrade your Kindle a number of times you have to rebuy the book. So far I have not heard of Amazon resetting the licenses except in cases of a returned broken kindle.
Re: Re: Amazon E-books accessible by account not just by device
Ok, after some research, it appears that Amazon has worked to solve this problem. You can add more than six devices but you have to delete and deregister a device to free up a license. Still awaiting word from B&N, but it appears that you may have no device limit there.
microsoft's music service...
The possibility here is not that different from what happened with Microsoft’s music store years ago. They sold DRM music then decided one day to close shop and move everything to their Zune marketplace. What happened to the DRM music that was tied to the old store–it became inaccessible b/c in order to listen to the songs the software had to go through an authorization process with the store that was no longer there. To their credit, there was a period in which you could convert the songs (forget specifics), but after that you were up the creek w/out a paddle. I shudder to think that the same thing could happen with my Kindle content, though it might.
Nice Post
I really like this – but I don’t really understand the wholw DRM situation. If this tax was avoidable, then I’m sure that we’d be able to get the best of it.