Let me start with the obligatory assurance that I’m no fan of DRM technologies. That’s why I use (illegal) tools to break it if I want to buy an ebook from another retailer and read it on my Kindle(s AMZN). Yet I disagree with author and BoingBoing co-editor Cory Doctorow’s argument that DRM plays a big role in the ongoing dispute between Amazon and book publisher Hachette.

In a column in the Guardian Friday, Doctorow wrote that “because Hachette has been such a staunch advocate of DRM,” it hasn’t been able to take advantage of “a whole range of tactics” that would be available to it if it dropped DRM:

“Amazon’s ebook major competitors – especially Apple and Google – have lots of market clout, and their customers are already carrying around ebook readers (tablets and phones). Hachette could easily play hardball with Amazon by taking out an ad campaign whose message…

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Ebook subscription site Oyster expands to Android, Kindle Fire and Nook tablets

21 June 2014 by particularkev

Gigaom

The $9.95 per month ebook subscription service Oyster, which was previously only available on iOS(s AAPL), expanded to Android(s GOOG), Kindle(s AMZN) Fire and Nook(s BKS) HD tablets Tuesday — thus removing one of the differentiating factors between it and rival service Scribd. New features include “read time” for books (there is a similar feature on Kindle e-readers) and the ability to turn a book’s pages using the volume buttons on an Android device. Oyster, which is based in NYC and launched in fall 2013, now has over 500,000 titles, with two of the big-five publishers — Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins — participating.

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Apple Settles Lawsuit

21 June 2014 by particularkev

The link below is to an article reporting on Apple’s lawsuit settlement over ebook pricing.

For more visit:
http://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/apple-settles-out-of-court-in-840m-lawsuit

The Relevancy of Paper Books

21 June 2014 by particularkev

The link below is to an article that looks at the relevancy of paper books – somewhat tongue-in-cheek style it must be said.

For more visit:
http://bookriot.com/2014/06/20/10-reasons-paper-books-still-relevant/

Book Tattoos

21 June 2014 by particularkev

The link below is to an article that takes a look at book tattoos.

For more visit:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/20/tk-temporary-tattoos-for-_n_5512628.html

Book Titles

21 June 2014 by particularkev

The link below is to an article that takes a look at book titles.

For more visit:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-rachman-/whats-in-a-book-title_b_5503681.html

Apple settles ebook case, agrees to pay consumers over price-fixing

17 June 2014 by particularkev

Gigaom

Apple(s appl) has finally bowed out of a high stakes legal battle over ebooks and agreed to a settlement that could soon see the tech giant paying out millions to customers who purchased titles at online retailers like Amazon(s amzn) and Barnes & Noble(s bn).

According to a letter to the court filed in New York, and embedded below, Apple has reached an agreement with class-action lawyers and state attorneys general that will see the parties cancel a damages trial set for July.

The settlement is under seal for now and must be approved by the court, but is likely to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The money will come on top of the $160 million or so that the five publishers agreed to pay as a result of settlements reached last year.

Apple will, however, continue to appeal a jury verdict from last year in which U.S. District Judge Denise Cote…

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