Tech publisher O’Reilly Media does not put digital-rights management (DRM) controls on its electronic books to discourage unauthorized copying and sharing. Forbes Magazine asked CEO Tim O’Reilly if he wasn’t worried about piracy. No. And so what? Let's say my goal is to sell 10,000 copies of something. And let's say that if by putting DRM in it I sell 10,000 copies and I make my money, and if by having no DRM 100,000 copies go into circulation and I still sell 10,000 copies. Which of those is the better outcome? I think having 100,000 in circulation and selling 10,000 is way...

27 March, 2011

O'Reilly, the world's largest publisher of tech books, decided in 2008 to remove digital rights management — copy prevention software — from its ebooks. The result? In the 18 months since, ebook sales are up 103%. Long Island's Newsday, the 11th-largest-circulation newspaper in the US, is one of the first non-business newspapers to put its website behind a pay wall — a step The New York Times and all of Rupert Murdoch's papers are said to be considering. The result? In three months, Newsday's $5-a-week website has attracted 35 paying subscribers. Hat tip: SP....

31 January, 2010