Here's another item of criticism of e-book textbooks with DRM limitations. This individual thinks it's terrible that the book can only be downloaded to one computer (apparently she knows a lot of college students who own both a laptop and a desktop) and bemoans that "the digital textbooks are only discounted 33 percent off their printed counterparts." That would have been a big discount when I was a starving student, and still seems big now.

The point, however, isn't whether this is a bargain worth taking. I blogged earlier that in some cases as a student I would have, in others I would have paid more for a physical textbook. This blogger makes it clear this is not a deal, to her anyway. But why shouldn't the students be able to decide for themselves whether they like it? That's what markets are for. If nobody takes the bait, the publisher can loosen the DRM or lower the price. If lots of people purchase the e-books, then maybe other publishers will experiment with their own digital offerings. This belief by the Copyleft that they know better than a consumer what is in a consumer's best interest, coupled with a hostility to new business models and DRM, can only lead to fewer choices for consumers. I can't imagine why this would be good.

posted by Patrick Ross @ 9:17 AM | Academia, Books, Free Culture Movement

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