Apparently many libraries, including the ones in my country, are moving over to a system where you’re not allowed to digitally download the epub file anymore. You’re only allowed to borrow the book, and read it, in a closed ecosystem: an app. This per definition then excludes the majority of e-ink readers that don’t run Android. This is due to Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services (Text with EEA relevance) (source) entering into force June 28 this year.
As the Adobe DRM solution hasn’t been updated for years, it isn’t capable of fulfilling all the requirements that this law lays out without endangering the DRM solution. Text-to-speech is one function that isn’t fully supported by Adobe for example. This means that there are apparently two directions to go for full compliance, Readium DRM which is barely supported as well or a closed app ecosystem.
This is frustrating on so many levels, especially if I would like to borrow an ebook in my native language that isn’t available elsewhere on the web, which is often the situation for books in my language (and I’m guessing most languages outside of English). The alternatives left is borrowing a physical copy, or buying it.
The enshittification of everything continues…
Piracy is a service problem. If Videogames solved this problem, so can books. If changing these laws closes down libraries further, all of our EU representatives that worked on this legislation failed us immensely, libraries are already nothing but a faint whimper of the idea that started them off, and could fulfill an important cultural role for so much more folks. If only they were allowed.
But no. We have to think about those multibillion businesses who might miss a couple bucks left and right. Don’t know if anyone used that adobe DRM in the last 5 years but it’s basically a way to bully paying customers into an ecosystem, and you’re telling me they’re making it worse? Lol.
At least you could easily DeDRM ADE. This seems a lot trickier due to there not being one universal solution and it being in-app.
True :)
Hey look everyone, he repeated it!
Go to any country without an egregious amount of excessive wealth and you’ll see fast how worldwide, piracy is a solution to the ever-growing disparity in wealth.