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Media restrictions


In an ideal world, all media would be free (as in freedom), but unfortunately that's not the world we currently live in. The biggest problem is that access to proprietary media is often crippled by DRM (Digital Restrictions Management), which can be bypassed in some circumstances by using a specific program. Sometimes there's no free software tool yet for removing DRM from certain media files, and running shady proprietary tools is the only option. Purchasing proprietary media inevitably encourages authors to continue earning money by producing and selling even more proprietary media (as opposed to free media). The next list summarizes the various possible relationships people can have, in my opinion, with the purchase and use of media (in order of increasing strictness):


All media is acceptable

Proprietary media with DRM that cannot be removed with either free or proprietary software is unacceptable

Proprietary media with DRM that cannot be removed with free software is unacceptable

Proprietary media with DRM is unacceptable (e.g. Defective by Design)

Purchasing proprietary media is unacceptable, but using it without paying is acceptable

Proprietary media is unacceptable; only free media is acceptable


Defective by Design


Personally, I think that purchasing proprietary media is tolerable, as long as I'm able to remove any DRM with free software tools only. Specifically, after buying e-books with Adobe DRM I immediately download and decrypt them with libgourou. Libgourou is a simple command-line program that runs natively on GNU/Linux, so no need for Adobe Digital Editions, Microsoft Windows, Wine or Calibre.


https://indefero.soutade.fr/p/libgourou/

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