HarperCollins Wants Library EBooks to Self-Destruct After 26 Loans 181
An anonymous reader writes: "HarperCollins has decided to change their agreement with e-book distributor OverDrive [and other distributors, too]. They forced OverDrive, which is a main e-book distributor for libraries, to agree to terms so that HarperCollins e-books will only be licensed for checkout 26 times. Librarians have blown up over this, calling for a boycott of HarperCollins, breaking the DRM on e-books -- basically doing anything to let HarperCollins and other publishers know they consider this abuse."
Cory Doctorow, who wrote TFA, says: "For the record, all of my HarperCollins ebooks are also available as DRM-free Creative Commons downloads. And as bad as HarperCollins' terms are, they're still better than Macmillan's, my US/Canadian publisher, who don't allow any library circulation of their ebook titles."
Re:How about using books instead? (Score:4, Informative)
Fad? I take it you haven't actually tried an ebook, but they're pretty amazing. Pretty much the only aspect that's worse than the dead tree editions is that you need electricity to use them. There's more to innovate there like improving the interface and the screens, but it's a lot more convenient for me than books are.
Plus, I'm the sort of person that likes to keep books once I've bought them, and I just don't have much room available for books I might not read for several years.
Re:How about using books instead? (Score:2, Informative)
We move around, a LOT. About 3 years ago, my poor husband begged me to consider an e-reader to save his back. I agreed, and I LOVE it.
I think it's great that I can carry a whole library of books in my purse. Everything from whatever fiction I'm currently reading to various textbooks.
Yes the technology still has some ways to evolve, but I don't imagine that the future of books will remain locked in paper for much longer.