I'm ashamed to admit that I don't really know the ins and outs of DRM as well as I feel that I should. However, I do know that, the more I learn about it, the bigger issue I am having and am becoming more likely to change my buying habits.
In a discussion I've been having with classmates in LIS 520 about electronic books I really started thinking about how DRM is affecting the process of this technology being adopted. I have heard from a few people that, like me, they are unwilling to get an ebook reader like the Kindle as it doesn't allow you to share books with your friends. Basically you are paying the same price as you would for a paperback, on top of an expensive reader but don't have the rights of first-sale doctrine, which has been upheld by the US Supreme Court for over 100 years. So basically you are renting for the cost of buying.
There is also the issue that when you are buying media with DRM you actually aren't buying the item as much as a license to use it. A license which can be revoked. There is always the option of hacking to remove the DRM but most people don't have the know-how or even the knowledge that it CAN be done. This license also prevents you from sharing material with friends and as someone who loans books out on a weekly basis I find this limitation unacceptable.
I'm not sure what the future of DRM and ebooks will be. In some ways ebooks could give people access to more information than ever before. I just think that publishers unwillingness to relinquish control by removing DRM is hindering the acceptance of ebooks by the general population. Removing that barrier would be another step toward this new technology taking hold.
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