"Why a supposed German breakthrough in e-book DRM is just as dumb as the old e-book DRM
By Cory Doctorow |
Jul 06, 2013
"
> The idea that copyright owners might convince a judge, or, worse, a
> jury that because they found a copy of an e-book on the Pirate Bay
> originally sold to me they can then hold me responsible or civilly
> liable is almost certainly wrong, as a matter of law. At the very
> least, it's a long shot and a stupid legal bet. After all, it's not
> illegal to lose your computer. It's not illegal to have it stolen
> or hacked. It's not illegal to throw away your computer or your
> hard drive. In many places, it's not illegal to give away your
> e-books, or to loan them. In some places, it's not illegal to sell
> your e-books.
>
> So at best, this new "breakthrough" DRM scheme will be ineffective.
> But worse, what makes anyone think this kind of implicit fear of
> reprisal embedded within one's digital library is acceptable, or,
> for that matter, preferable to old-school DRM?