Kindle Review – Kindle Fire Review, Kindle 4 Review

I’m so impressed by publishers that I’m actually going through a list of valid, invalid and just plain stupid legal arguments textbook publishers will use to attack Amazon’s KindleText aka Textbook Kindle when it comes out -

1. Force Amazon to put in checks that ensure PDFs, texts etc. that are pirated textbooks cannot be used on the TextBook Kindle. And yes, this is an intractable problem.   
2. Ask Amazon to remove the snapshot feature or disable it for textbooks since students could conceivably take snapshots of an entire textbook and then print it out or share it on-line. This might actually be legally sound. I don’t like this argument at all - However, to me it seems legally defensible.  
3. Disable the ability to take clippings out of textbooks, and do copy paste from textbooks to other documents. Again, extremely stupid and somewhat legally defensible. 
4. Not allow Kindle books to be shared between 6 accounts as they currently are.  
5. Ask Amazon to disable any social networking features Amazon were to put into the Kindle Textbook Edition – again for copyright reasons.
6. Stop access to mail programs etc. from the KindleText to prevent users from sharing text from textbooks.

And let’s not forget that a lot of universities are in cahoots with big publishers. Here are arguments that Universities are going to push to try to slow the spread of Kindle Textbook Edition -

1. WhisperNet not allowed on campus to prevent cheating during exams.  
2. Bar KindleText from certain labs and certain classes.
3. Try to restrict KindleText usage to outside of classrooms because of noise, distraction and other complaints.  
4. Claim that KindleText encourages cheating and copying of notes and papers and ask for safeguards such as integration of new software.
5. Demand that Amazon sells KindleText via university bookstores.
6. Bring up safety concerns such as effect on eyesight.
7. Claim that WhisperNet usage affects students and/or the university’s network.

There are a few fundamental planks on which textbook publishers and universities will rest their efforts to fight Amazon’s Kindle Textbook eReader -

1. Copyright – Preventing piracy of their content. 
2. The Right Thing – For example, maintaining the integrity of exams and courses by preventing cheating.  
3. Helping students – For example, claiming that losing textbook revenue will increase cost for students’ tuition as textbook fees subsidize tuition rates.  
4. Preventing a Monopoly – Claiming that spread of the Kindle Textbook Edition is harmful as it puts Amazon into the position of being a monopoly and controlling the textbook market and its bad for students.

Rising education costs, coupled with the great/greater/could-be-great depression, are already hitting students. A lot of them are also beginning to realize that leaving college with huge student loans is a huge disadvantage. A textbook Kindle is going to be a big hit, and textbook publishers and universities are going to lose their monopoly.

It’d be careless for us or Amazon to not fully anticipate all the legal, moral and societal arguments that will be brought into play. When someone claims they are altruistic and helping you only out of concern for you - that’s the time to be most wary of them.

Filed under: kindle dx Tagged: | kindle textbooks, kindletext