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And what I find most darkly amusing is that they weren’t content to stop there. The one place in the book distribution ecosystem where piracy is most efficiently defeated, where users have access to content for free but under carefully controlled circumstances, have been libraries. Libraries have always been the best counter to piracy. And instead of cementing a relationship with libraries that works to the benefit of all parties, publishers have steadfastly withdrawn the ability of libraries to provide free content, even when it is available for only limited borrowing periods, or only a restricted number of titles, with severe constraints on sharing and copying. Instead, they have indicated an interest in the commercialization of libraries by encouraging rental models.
Having been in the public library biz for 30 years, I'm not in the least surprised that the publishers have shot themselves in both feet. Even in the pre-Internet era, there has been an uneasy relationship between publishers (and bookstores) and public libraries. I remember when the library I worked at first purchased videos, the publishers and local video stores thought it was the end of their world as they knew it. Duh - it wasn't. In fact, it has been consistently shown that heavily used public libraries have a positive economic impact on local bookstores in particular the locally-owned establishments that provide excellent customer service like public libraries. Publishers -- get you head out of the sand!
Quoting: Publishers -- get you head out of the sand!
Or, somewhere.
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