Major science fiction publisher to zap DRM
E-books unencumbered
Specialist Sci-Fi publisher Tom Doherty Associates, best known for its Tor, Forge and Starscape imprints, is calling time on DRM..
From today, its e-book offerings will be free of digital rights management shackles, TDA said.
As well as TDA's US output, the move will apply to Pan Macmillan, which offers Sci-Fi titles in the UK under the Tor brand.
UK DRM-free releases will begin rolling out over the next three months, Pan Macmillan said, after the publisher talks to its authors about it.
“Our authors and readers have been asking for this for a long time,” said TDA president and publisher Tom Doherty.
“They’re a technically sophisticated bunch, and DRM is a constant annoyance to them. It prevents them from using legitimately-purchased e-books in perfectly legal ways, like moving them from one kind of e-reader to another.”
Jeremy Trevathan, Pan Macmillan’s Fiction Publisher, added: "We also understand that readers in this community feel strongly about this."
Tor UK numbers Douglas Adams, Greg Bear, Paul Cornell, Peter F Hamilton and China Miéville among its authors.
TDA is part of the Macmillan group, which is in turn owned by German publishing combine Holtzbrinck. ®
COMMENTS
I will buy more of their Hardcopy because of this decision
Folks,
I have close to 3,000 hard and softcover science fiction books from the last 30 years and probably another 1,000 of old technical/instruction books that go back to early 1900's.
I will gladly purchase more from Tor specifically for their decision to get rid of DRM even if I am no fan of E Books.
Call me a luddite but I like physical media, especially books. There is substance and permanence with paper books that just cannot be had with E Books.
When technology fails, paper books can always be read and they have no DRM or region codes and they can't be retracted like Amazon did with Orwells 1984.
Rules, regulations and technology that can or do interfere with the availability of knowledge are among the most despicable things on earth. The 1% wants the 99% to be an unknowing, unquestioning "Idiocracy" and they cannot be allowed to win. DRM is only one front against the 1% that must be conquered.
I think it was competitive pressure
Baen, http://baen.com/ the other huge SF publisher in the US has been DRM free from the start and has a policy of giving away back catalog for free and allowing copying and redistribution of the CDs bundled with some of their books. According to author Eric Flint, this dope dealer business model has driven sales of series and related works since the free ebooks create demand for paid ebooks and paper copies.
I think the Megadodo Publishing Corporation has been putting pressure on them.
Erm, Douglas Adams isn't likely to be telling them to drop DRM anytime soon, he's dead.
Re: DRM and Locks
The difference is that a competent lock smith will have to turn up in person and do her thing at each and every lock, whereas a single breach of the DRM means there's now an easy-to-copy copy of the protected work out there.
Clear?
If you want further evidence, or a practical demonstration, just look around and see all the movies, ebooks, games and whatnot floating out on the 'net. 99% of that has DRM on it in its source format. Surely if DRM did anything it was supposed to do there wouldn't be so much of this stuff out there clogging up the Inter-tubes...?
