Are there any studies PROVING that DRM works?

[amoroso]

Are there any independent studies proving with sound data and methodologies that ebook copy protection via DRM is effective? By effective, I mean some sort of reasonable metric such as increased ebook sales or reduced distribution of unauthorized copies. I am interested in independent studies, i.e. not commissioned, conducted by or involving DRM vendors, publisher groups or publishing industry organizations.

[HarryT]

It "works" in the sense that many publishers (and, it has to be said, authors too) would not publish eBooks at all without DRM. Therefore DRM results in a wider range of eBooks being published.

[amoroso]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It "works" in the sense that many publishers (and, it has to be said, authors too) would not publish eBooks at all without DRM. Therefore DRM results in a wider range of eBooks being published.

That use of DRM reminds a talisman, but it's an interesting metric.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by amoroso

Are there any independent studies proving with sound data and methodologies that ebook copy protection via DRM is effective? By effective, I mean some sort of reasonable metric such as increased ebook sales or reduced distribution of unauthorized copies. I am interested in independent studies, i.e. not commissioned, conducted by or involving DRM vendors, publisher groups or publishing industry organizations.

You want government studies or real facts? For real facts just check out the plethora of current (both bestsellers and lesser-known/unknown authors) titles that are available on the darknet sites. It is not uncommon for even the authors with almost no exposure to be available within days of initial DRM'd release.

Now given the range of DRM out there, I'd say the empirical evidence proves the answer is 'No' to both questions.

Yes, the publishers would have you believe otherwise, but they're full of it.

The BIGGER problem for most new authors is NOT being 'pirated' but just getting enough exposure to bring in paying customers.

Take for example "Net Assets". It's by Carl Bussjaeger and it's available on Smashwords and Amazon in ebook formats and as a trade paperback from Amazon. It's a decent science fiction story but even having PAID for the premium exposure for both the dead-tree and ebook versions on Amazon, I've yet to see "Net Assets" or his second book, an anthology of SF - "The Anarchists", ever be displayed in the new and forthcoming lists. If no one knows it is available, it might as well not be published!

Derek

[speakingtohe]

Working in a small resort/RV park on the Alaska Highway I got curious and asked the people with ereaders in public use what they thought of DRM. A lot of blank stares and one elderly woman who told me it means it isn't a library book.

A hot topic of debate at mobile reads but perhaps many people stumble upon mobile reads looking to find out about DRM.

Helen

[SensualPoet]

Certainly some piracy is going on: but nothing like what happened in the music industry when CDs came out. The difference was that everyone who had a CD basically had easy access to tools to share the CD they'd bought. Plus, folks shared individual tracks as well as whole albums. And, the USENET was way bigger then than it is now. Trading was trivially easy.

Books are different: it's hard to turn a pbook into an ebook; and most books are still on paper. Who wants to trade just a chapter? Consumers are also much better trained to pay for stuff on the net than they used to: iTunes and Amazon have been a big part of that trend.

Lastly DRM on ebooks doesn't get in the way of enjoying your purchase and its not something that will be consumed dozens or hundreds of times like a favourite tune is. So DRM is also not put to the test as often. Sure, some people worry they might be inconvenienced by DRM someday, but, as a practical matter, almost no one is.

[MrPLD]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

The BIGGER problem for most new authors is NOT being 'pirated' but just getting enough exposure to bring in paying customers.

In fact, some of us are explicitly going out of our way to exploit the piracy in lieu of a large marketing team.

As for the DRM itself, I don't know of any scheme that has lasted more than a couple of years without being neutralised. That said a lot of people just don't understand or even know what DRM is - usually not until something goes wrong with the authentication server or the company closes down.

For us, the compromise we came up with is the individualised watermarking system. No one loses access to their rightfully owned books then. Though I wouldn't consider it DRM.

The trouble I think with DRM, or rather the reason it exists despite probably the corp heads knowing it's a failed task, is that they have to show that they're attempting to protect profits as obligation to the shareholder. They probably also are trying to assure some content generators (authors) that their hard work is protected - though I'm speculating on that one.


Paul.

[MrPLD]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

Certainly some piracy is going on: but nothing like what happened in the music industry when CDs came out. The difference was that everyone who had a CD basically had easy access to tools to share the CD they'd bought.

Are you referring to recording to tape? Because CD-burners didn't really become mainstream until the mid-late 90's, especially not to consumers.

As for sharing across the net, it wasn't until the late 90's that mp3's became a viable option with machines finally being sufficiently fast to play them (without choking down the whole system), let alone having a fast enough internet [outside of the US/Japan].

If we say 1998 was the 'piracy turning point' that really gave CD's about 12~15 years of a market with very little piracy.

http://elitadaniels.com - Tree of Life (Part I)

[Barcey]

There will always be charlatans trying to make a profit off of peoples natural fears. The trick is to construct the scam so it can't be proved or disproved.

They used to create magic amulets that would protect loved ones going into battle. All it needed was the blood of a virgin. If they came back alive it worked. If they didn't she mustn't have been a virgin.

Today we have companies selling DRM. People pay and the companies laugh all the way to the bank. You can't collect data to prove it doesn't work so people are happy to believe it does. The best data I've seen it doesn't work is that Apple's iTunes sales didn't go down when they got rid of it.

[patrickt]

Does copy protecting computer programs reduce piracy? Do activation schemes reduce piracy? I know for a fact it does because I don't copy my copy-protected CDs or programs that require activation. I copied Windows98 for just about anyone who asked for a copy.

Now, DRM for books, I don't know. I don't actually know anyone with an ebook reader. So far, the DRM hasn't inconvenienced me.

[MrPLD]

I think the level where people get upset is when they can't even make a backup for their own purposes or transpose the media to another device.

I used to get a lot of people asking me to copy various things for them, including Windows, or MS Office - they didn't get an answer much better than "No.". These days I can at least tell them to get OpenOffice.

[amoroso]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

You want government studies or real facts?

I suspect that DRM is a placebo, and that the publishing industry has no rational and reliable data for backing their decision to use it. Real facts about the ineffectiveness of DRM are enough for me, but I'm challenging the publishing industry to prove their claims or beliefs.

[amoroso]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

Lastly DRM on ebooks doesn't get in the way of enjoying your purchase [...]

If you use a non-mainstream desktop operating system, DRM does get in the way.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by amoroso

If you use a non-mainstream desktop operating system, DRM does get in the way.

That depends what type of DRM you're talking about. With ePub DRM then yes, it does, since PC software is required to transfer the book onto the reader. With MobiPocket DRM (such as the Kindle uses) there is no such issue, since the book is encoded for the reading device by the bookstore's server - there's no step that involves the use of a PC at all.

[Jack Tingle]

One interesting point I saw (maybe on Teleread?) was that publishers will abandon DRM when it can be shown that the cost of the DRM (the DRM vendors charge for it, you know) exceeds the benefit (reduced piracy and hence increased sales). Accountants are powerful and eldritch creatures, you know. Up until that point, publishers are sort of honor bound to use something to protect authors' IP and shareholders' profits.

Regards,
Jack Tingle