0:00:00.474,0:00:01.474 This is a bookseller... 0:00:01.573,0:00:02.838 And this is a book. 0:00:02.937,0:00:06.382 When the bookseller sells a book to a customer, 0:00:06.482,0:00:08.761 he leaves the book shop with it 0:00:09.246,0:00:11.174 and does what he wants with it. 0:00:11.525,0:00:13.987 Normally, it looks something like this... 0:00:14.087,0:00:16.775 When he is done reading it, he usually does this. 0:00:16.875,0:00:19.316 But he could also do that. 0:00:19.416,0:00:22.589 He can either lend it, give it, 0:00:22.747,0:00:25.110 or sell it. 0:00:26.534,0:00:29.718 And he has the right to do whatever he wants with it. 0:00:29.818,0:00:31.440 It's his book. 0:00:31.633,0:00:33.588 More precisely, it is his own copy of the text, 0:00:34.882,0:00:36.865 the paper is his. He owns it. 0:00:36.965,0:00:38.965 This is an e-reader. 0:00:39.065,0:00:41.017 It is a device that makes it possible to read e-books. 0:00:41.214,0:00:43.471 Properly speaking, we should say, electonic books. 0:00:43.844,0:00:44.817 It isn't really possible 0:00:44.917,0:00:46.165 to show an electronic book to you 0:00:46.276,0:00:47.276 It neither has shape. 0:00:47.486,0:00:49.453 It is a digital file, 0:00:49.584,0:00:51.666 data that can travel on many different storage devices. 0:00:51.973,0:00:55.150 That's why we talk of intangibles 0:00:55.413,0:00:57.363 when it comes to the digital world. 0:00:57.604,0:01:01.844 Contrary to a book, a digital file can easily be duplicated, 0:01:01.944,0:01:05.755 without any loss of quality and at insignificant cost. 0:01:06.376,0:01:09.370 This means sharing it is really easy 0:01:09.611,0:01:12.416 When one is used to selling books, 0:01:12.555,0:01:16.141 this ease with which e-books can be shared raises a ton of questions. 0:01:16.294,0:01:18.582 A wrong answer was given to these questions. 0:01:18.880,0:01:21.684 It is called DRM, for Digital Rights Management 0:01:22.161,0:01:25.628 supposedly methods to protection. 0:01:26.009,0:01:30.208 What is protected from what or from whom is open to question. 0:01:30.471,0:01:34.108 DRM is also intangible. 0:01:34.654,0:01:36.160 If one wanted to represent it anyway, 0:01:36.260,0:01:37.516 it would look something like that. 0:01:37.616,0:01:38.673 The justification for DRM is 0:01:38.773,0:01:40.069 to make e-books behave like books. 0:01:40.169,0:01:41.345 DRM is supposed to prevent them 0:01:41.445,0:01:42.941 from being massively copied and shared, 0:01:43.041,0:01:44.537 without every single copy being bought. 0:01:44.637,0:01:46.023 That could seem right, but it isn't. 0:01:46.123,0:01:48.619 The first reason is that it simply goes against 0:01:48.719,0:01:51.593 how things work the natural order of things. 0:01:51.746,0:01:55.625 So it's complicated. And when things are complicated,[br]they don't work well. 0:01:55.800,0:01:57.847 So you have to buy a certain kind of e-reader, 0:01:57.947,0:01:58.715 and not others, 0:01:58.815,0:02:00.352 and you need to have the right software 0:02:00.452,0:02:02.109 and the right computer to make it all work. 0:02:02.395,0:02:03.841 Compatibility is not DRM's strong suit. 0:02:04.170,0:02:05.806 And once you have an e-reader, 0:02:05.906,0:02:07.324 for the hardware you bought 0:02:07.457,0:02:09.276 you still need the e-book you want to read 0:02:09.377,0:02:10.544 to be published specifically 0:02:11.083,0:02:13.906 And the day you want to change your e-reader or publisher, 0:02:14.006,0:02:15.124 your e-books won't work. 0:02:15.323,0:02:18.478 The second reason why DRM is a bad solution 0:02:18.785,0:02:20.428 is that it does more than prevent users from copying. 0:02:20.691,0:02:23.123 When you purchase an e-book with DRM,[br]you do not own the file. 0:02:23.525,0:02:28.404 Therefore, you can neither give it, nor lend it, nor resell it. 0:02:28.579,0:02:31.479 And there are tons of other terms of use 0:02:31.579,0:02:33.380 that do not exist for a real book. 0:02:33.480,0:02:37.190 You don't actually buy an e-book; at most you only rent a reading service. 0:02:37.475,0:02:39.640 The third reason is that DRM tracks you. 0:02:39.740,0:02:41.284 To know what you read, when, 0:02:41.384,0:02:42.988 at what speed, how many times, 0:02:43.088,0:02:45.571 what passages in particular and in what order. 0:02:45.671,0:02:46.945 When you read an e-book, 0:02:47.045,0:02:50.073 there is you, the text, and DRM monitoring your actions. 0:02:50.173,0:02:51.761 The fourth and last reason is probably the best. 0:02:52.111,0:02:54.587 DRM can remotely erase your e-books. 0:02:54.687,0:02:57.063 Yes, erase them. This isn't just theory. 0:02:57.163,0:02:59.561 Amazon has already done this several times with its Kindle. 0:02:59.934,0:03:01.862 E-books with DRM are not books. 0:03:01.962,0:03:03.922 The goal of DRM isn't to reestablish a balance 0:03:04.022,0:03:06.013 lost with the advent of the digital age 0:03:06.113,0:03:08.260 but to hoard all of its benefits 0:03:08.360,0:03:10.583 DRM purports to be a protection measure, 0:03:10.683,0:03:12.072 but it's actually digital handcuffs. 0:03:12.172,0:03:15.951 It takes from you, exploits you,[br]and treats you with contempt. 0:03:16.051,0:03:20.355 What is happening today with e-books can also be seen elsewhere, 0:03:20.455,0:03:23.839 in particular with video on demand or video games. 0:03:24.102,0:03:25.285 The law states that the consumers 0:03:25.385,0:03:26.880 states that the consumers must be informed 0:03:26.980,0:03:28.548 of the compatibility of what they are buying, 0:03:28.648,0:03:30.520 and this includes technological measures such as DRM. 0:03:30.622,0:03:32.472 Demand this information when you shop. 0:03:32.572,0:03:34.071 Learn to make the right choice. 0:03:34.531,0:03:35.802 Ban DRM from your life.