Thing 17

Will E-Book Anti-Piracy Technology Hurt Readers?


A podcast about digital rights management and the changing publishing industry. It seems just about every industry is changing as a result of the internet these days. Today I read an article about how the video game industry is losing to free online "casual" games. I read another one about tv producers worrying that too much of their content is available for free online. Of course, this has been an issue for the music industry for some time now, and as this podcast shows, it's one for the book industry too. And I couldn't be happier. To me, a radical shift away from cut throat capitalism is just what we need. That may not be in fact where we're headed, but I am optimistic. I envision a world where money is given freely to causes you want to support. Not because you have to in exchange for their goods, but because you want to see them succeed, if you can afford it. A kind of donation system, or, "love offering" as many new agers put it. I know it seems far fetched now, but I already do this for my favorite music artists and many other music fans do as well. It's the same for listener supported radio and public television. Make it all free I say, and see where the money flows.