IT Policy Guide/Anti-DRM

Ebooks Anti-DRM Statement

Libraries have the incredibly undervalued role in our society of preserving, cataloguing, and providing access to human knowledge. While the advent of digital media and the internet has greatly improved the accessibility of cultural works, the resulting backlash of dominant media companies to maintain their position has been the development of DRM which impedes the advantages information technology would naturally provide.

Due to legal, technological, and ethical concerns around DRM, we are making a commitment to reject such technologies. DRM is an framework meant to supersede copyright law with more limiting technological restrictions. It is completely unnecessary and ineffective for its stated purpose of protecting authors' rights. Instead, DRM makes legitimate uses of media inconvenient and places the burden on those who do acquire books legally. This is an anticompetitive tactic that exploits innocent readers without helping authors.

DRM requires patrons to cede control of their computers to third-party corporations, so those companies can restrict when and how users may access "checked out" books or audio files. The notion of checking something out is based on physical scarcity; to be enforcing artificial scarcity where none actually exists is entirely contrary to the purpose of a library. DRM threatens the free flow of information, the privacy of readers, and the very existence of libraries. If the availability of books is entirely controlled by third-party corporations, libraries will only serve as a temporary and disposable reseller.

We are adopting a strong policy against such technologies: 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. As a library, we have market power that we will use to discourage the use of DRM, not endorse it. 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

Both publishers and readers are left at the mercy of whoever controls the DRM. 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 this vendor lock-in scheme. DRM is a monopolistic effort to corner readers and publishers into a single digital bookstore platform.

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.

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.