IT Policy Guide/Anti-DRM

CONCERNS: Legal, technological, ethical DRM: Anticompetitive, Monopolistic, Exploitative Threatens: Free flow of information, privacy of readers, own mission

Ebooks Anti-DRM Statement

Due to legal, technological, and ethical concerns around DRM, we are making a commitment to reject such technologies. DRM is an exploitative framework meant to supersede copyright law with more limiting technological restrictions. It is completely unnecessary and ineffective for its stated purpose of reducing piracy as DRM can be cracked easily with widely available tools. While piracy remains unhindered, DRM makes legitimate uses of media inconvenient and places the burden on those who do not pirate their works.

DRM is an anticompetitive tactic that threatens the free flow of information, the privacy of readers, and our own mission. We are committed to ensuring that readers do not lose their legal rights under fair use from technological restrictions as ebooks gain popularity. DRM is incompatible with the Readers' Bill of Rights for Digital Books as stated at: https://readersbillofrights.info/bill-of-rights

DRM is a vendor-lock in scheme that leaves both publishers and readers at the mercy of whoever controls the it. DRM-encumbered media depends on the survival of the supplier controlling it so that the media only lives as long as the supplier does. Neither readers nor publishers can choose to transfer books to a competing service without authorization from the supplier. Users are required to use only authorized software and hardware, forcing people to adopt technologies that support DRM schemes. This is a monopolistic effort to corner readers and publishers into a single digital bookstore platform.

This is the root of a long list of problems which are created by DRM. Privacy concerns are huge as DRM ties an identity to the unlocking of an ebook and readers' libraries, reading habits, and notes may all be monitored. Legitimate uses of media are prevented as DRM may prevent text-to-speech software from working on ebooks which is needed by many readers with disabilities or visual impairments. DRM is accompanied by user agreements restricting how readers are permitted to use their own books. DRM sometimes allows lending ebooks for short periods, but the book may never be sold or passed on.

DRM impedes the preservation of human knowledge by preventing conversion of ebook files into other formats which will be needed as our technology continues to evolve. DRM prevents archival and backups because copying the book for any reason is not allowed and impossible. DRM renders Copyright irrelevant and eliminates fair use and the public domain because ebooks stay locked forever. DRM allows ebooks to be remotely destroyed creating the potential for digital book burnings on a massive scale that can happen instantly and silently.

We are adopting a strong policy against such technologies. To protect those rights, we will not participate in maintaining a DRM system or distributing DRM-encumbered media. We also will not purchase, lend, or sell devices which require DRM for viewing any media.

What's wrong with DRM?

• Accessibility: DRM may prevent text-to-speech software from working on ebooks which is needed by many readers with disabilities or visual impairments.

• Exploitation: DRM does not protect against piracy as it is easy to break with widely available tools, but it inconveniences legitimate readers and places the burden on them for limited access to their books.

• Vendor lock-in: DRM leaves both publishers and readers at the mercy of whoever controls the DRM. This is an effort to lock both readers and publishers into one digital bookstore platform.

• Obsolecense: DRM impedes the preservation of human knowledge by preventing conversion of ebook files into other formats which will be needed as our technology continues to evolve.

• Privacy: DRM ties an identity to the unlocking of an ebook and readers' libraries, reading habits, and notes may all be monitored.

• Expiration: DRM encumbered media depends on the survival of the bookstore controling it, meaning that the book only lives as long as the seller does.

• Unfair terms: DRM is accompanied by user agreements restricting how readers are permitted to use their own books.

• Archival: DRM prevents archival and backups because copying the book for any reason is not allowed and impossible.

• Compatibility: DRM requires authorized software and hardware, forcing readers to use only technologies that support DRM schemes.

• Sharing: DRM sometimes allows lending ebooks for short periods, but the book may never be sold or passed on.

• Copyright: DRM renders Copyright irrelevant and eliminates fair use and the public domain because ebooks stay locked forever.

• Censorship: DRM allows ebooks to be remotely destroyed creating the potential for digital book burnings on a massive scale that can happen instantly and silently.

• Mission: DRM is incompatible with the mission of libraries to provide shared access to information.