[Free-sklyarov-uk] [Fwd: RE: ebooks] WHSmith on their ebooks

[David Haworth]

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On Mon, Dec 17, 2001 at 07:37:13PM +0000, Matthew Johnson wrote:
> How can they not support it because you are running some other software?!=
=20
> Presumably their DRM comflicts with the access McAfee will allow it... or=
=20
> something... but they're trying to specify the exact system configuration=
 you=20
> have to use?

Well, it sounds crazy, but they're really shooting themselves in the
foot, because:
  1 - if the reader won't run on your system, they've lost a sale, and
  2 - if the reader ceases to run on your system and they won't
      support it, then you're morally, if not legally, allowed to
      "circumvent"(*)

> erm..... who came up with this? I can see why they need to lock it into t=
heir=20
> format, but given that I can just screenshot it and print it.... does it=
=20
> *really* help at all?

I think you'll find that if you try a screen dump, the ebook reader
part will be blank. But yes, it's all complete bullshit. 25 pages
every 10 days means a printed copy of the average book in a few
months, and once you have a printable copy, you have an unprotected
copy (print to postscript file, psmerge, ps2pdf).

> > 5)  If an Adobe eBook file is copied, it cannot be opened later.

I'd like to challenge that statement. It makes some assumptions about
computing environments that just aren't true. (I assume what they really
mean is that the copy cannot be opened on another computer, because
taken literally it makes no sense whatsoever).

> > 6)  Adobe eBooks can only be opened on the computer they were downloaded
> > to. When the book is downloaded, it is encrypted to the certification c=
ode
> > of the eBook Reader - each eBook Reader has a unique code.  You would h=
ave
> > to purchase it and download it again at home.

I think I can come up with a scheme, using general purpose readily
available programs, where I can use an ebook on as many PCs as I like
(I'm talking duplicated vmware virtual machines here). So the whole
"protection" claim is really marketing bullshit anyway, but that seems
to be good enough for the FBI.

> Isn't it called 1st sale rights or something? In the US at least (anyone =
know=20
> about the UK details - can't find anything after a quick google search) t=
he=20
> law is that (quote from web:)=20

The UK law in question is the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
(go to www.hmso.gov.uk -- legislation -- UK acts -- 1988 or somewhere
similar). I think you'll find sections in there about first sale
limitations.

> Side note: what happens if you reinstall eBook Reader... or if you have t=
o=20
> reinstall Windows - your eBook is now useless and you have to buy another=
=20
> copy?=20

Yes - this is one of the reasons why ebooks aren't very popular.

(*) It occurs to me that these brute-force decryption programs can hardly
be described as "circumvention devices" under any definition of the
word "circumvent" (i.e. to go around, to avoid), because they don't
_avoid_ the protection, they meet it head on and defeat it. It's
interesting that the US law carefully defines "effective technological
[protection] measure" as just about any attempt to secure the product
(it doesn't actually have to work - i.e. be effective by any sane definition
of the word - to meet the definition of the term for the purposes of the
law), but they fail to give any legal definition of the word "circumvent".
I presume therefore that the standard dictionary definition applies.
Maybe that's what Congress had in mind - pity that no defence lawyer
has picked up on it yet.

Dave

(the same one)

--=20
David Haworth                                david.haworth at altavista.net
Baiersdorf, Germany.                     http://home.graffiti.net/pogue/

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