Amazon now discloses you're buying a license to view Kindle eBooks

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Ownership vs. License Language

  • Many argue that showing “license to view” under a “Buy” button is deceptive; they want “Rent” or similarly explicit language.
  • Several say the disclosure isn’t very informative: what matters are concrete rights (revocability, transfer, time limits, offline backup), not just the word “license.”
  • Some contend that true “purchase” for digital goods should mean a perpetual, irrevocable, transferable license with DRM‑free files; others claim digital “ownership” is inherently different from physical.

Trust, Revocation, and Platform Power

  • Users cite past removals of digital content (e.g., Kindle’s 1984 incident, shutdowns of ebook/music stores, Sony video removals) as proof that access can disappear despite payment.
  • Amazon’s removal of the “download via USB” option is seen as tightening lock‑in and disqualifying it from “permanent offline” exemptions in new laws.
  • A minority trust Amazon/Steam‑style platforms and are comfortable with account‑tied access; others explicitly distrust Amazon’s incentives and future behavior.

Piracy: Ethics, Legality, and Practice

  • Many say Amazon’s licensing model “legitimizes” piracy or makes it the “lesser evil,” especially when no DRM‑free option exists.
  • Counter‑arguments stress that piracy undermines authors’ livelihoods and that license terms, though disliked, don’t justify infringement.
  • Some adopt hybrid ethics: buy a copy (ideally non‑Amazon) to support the author, then pirate or strip DRM for a usable archival copy.
  • Technical discussion covers Calibre + DeDRM, jailbreaks, KOReader, torrenting with VPNs, and the DMCA’s anti‑circumvention rules (notably, fair use doesn’t clearly protect DRM removal).

Alternatives and Workarounds

  • Strong interest in DRM‑free sources: Kobo (with DRM‑free labeling), some publishers’ own sites, Humble Bundle (often), Ebooks.com filters, Libro.fm for audiobooks, library apps (Libby), and piracy sites.
  • Several are migrating from Kindle to Kobo, or at least bulk‑downloading and de‑DRMing their Kindle libraries before Amazon’s deadline.
  • Others highlight library use, used/physical books, and open collections (Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks) to avoid these issues.

Impact on Authors and Publishers

  • An author in the thread explains that Amazon royalties are often very low; buying directly from publishers or local bookstores yields more income for them.
  • Libraries are generally portrayed as positive for authors (building readership) but more ambivalent for publishers.
  • Some argue current IP and DRM regimes benefit large intermediaries more than authors, blocking a “Bandcamp for books”‑style market.