Why does jnovel release their ebook without drm?

ArcaneRomz

I've been wondering about this. Why do they do this? Aren't they afraid of their ebook getting pirated (which are getting pirated)?

kuali

@ArcaneRomz Speaking from my experiences as a pirate: DRM generally doesn't work against those truly determined to get their hands on free copies of stuff except in specific circumstances (such as online only games where pirating a copy won't convince the servers you're a legitimate user).

So what effect does DRM actually have for something like ebooks? Well, it buys a slight delay between the introduction of a new DRM method and the invention of a tool to remove it. And beyond that it makes the life of the people posting said content a little less convenient.

In which case, what's the point of bothering with it? You're more likely to piss off legitimate customers when the DRM says I can't do that, Dave than you are to force pirates to pay for stuff.

Just to clarify: I have never redistributed copywrite material myself. (DRM may not have stopped me, but I sure didn't fancy trying my luck with some megacorp's lawyers...) Though I have (and still do) removed DRM from media I personally own for my own convenience.

I have also been a consumer of pirated material, but only in situations where it was not possible/practical for me to get the material legitimately. Either for financial reasons (back when I was a poor student around 15 years ago - I prefer supporting the media I enjoy now I've got the disposable income to do so), or for availability reasons (e.g. abandonware video games and out-of-print TTRPGs).

piisfun

@ArcaneRomz
Even if they did have DRM, they would still get pirated.
It is almost shockingly easy to strip DRM from ebooks.

But honestly? Two main reasons:

They don't have a dedicated ebook reader, which would be required to use DRM, since you need something that can read your specific encryption.
The same reason why they they don't really bother squashing fan translations of their licensed series: it is easier for them to overwhelm them through speed and quality than to try to take them down legally. Sam did try in the past, and said something to the effect of "Never again if I can avoid it."

Despite not having DRM, their ebooks aren't entirely without protections:

Your username is included in every premium ebook you download.
There is a checksum in the metadata of the book.

BartzBB

Another reason is that DRM cost extra to apply so they actually save some money by not having it.

Perplexed

Also it helps encourage people to buy directly from them rather than a third party store that charges commission on every purchase.
I personally switched to buying it directly from j-novel club because they don't have DRM and have even been slowly buying the books I had already previously bought on other stores from j-novel club just so I can get a DRM free version.

xdrfiredogx

Gabe Newell said it best a decade ago... Piracy isn't a pricing issue, it's a service issue. You don't really curb piracy by spending a ton of money on anti-piracy measures, you do it by offering a better service. That can be via ease of use or quality of product or through other measures, but the end result is a stronger, more profitable market.

Geezer Weasalopes

DRM also has a built-in danger for legit purchasers; if the firm managing the DRM verification ceases doing so, you're screwed.
Or if like Adobe Digital Editions, where they only allow six authorizations per account and deauthorization can only be done from the authorized device...hard drive crash? Emergency reinstall of the OS? Memory upgrade?! Lost or stolen device? So sorry, there's no way to deauthorize it, including via Adobe (if pushed they'll grant you an additional authorization, but ya gotta fight for it...after 15 years or so I'm down to one available device authorization.)
Adobe Digital Editions is relevant as Google and Kobo use their service.
Nook, if not using a Nook reader, requires a live Internet handshake to read content via your browser of their app, and Barnes & Noble is one firm I'm not sure about long-term viability; they've done enough non-GAAP maneuvers concerning brick-and-mortar/online sales fulfillment and expenses as well as stabbing the brick-and-mortar staff in the back...anyway, I now only purchase from them if no one else has the ebook.

A non-DRM copy is yours to read on any device you choose to use that can read the ebook format, whether you have Internet access or not.
That's one of the reasons I now purchase directly from any publisher that offers DRM-free from their in-house store.

HarmlessDave

@Geezer-Weasalopes said in Why does jnovel release their ebook without drm?:

I now purchase directly from any publisher that offers DRM-free from their in-house store.

I do that with all JNC titles and some of Hanashi's LNs but still get the Fruit of Evolution series from Amazon because I'm lazy.

Having it arrive automatically at 9 PM the night before release day is nice instead of having to go to the Hanashi store, make a purchase, download, and then click two whole times in Calibre to load it to my kindle. Yep, lazy. (Well that and I also want to be able to review it on Amazon as a verified purchaser to lure more people into Fruit's world of silliness.)

Geezer Weasalopes

@HarmlessDave said in Why does jnovel release their ebook without drm?:

(Well that and I also want to be able to review it on Amazon as a verified purchaser to lure more people into Fruit's world of silliness.)

Which is valid.
Getting even more off topic, I've been known to purchase titles from multiple retailers when they got "removed for violation of undefined community standards" from numerous stores and then had the decision by the retailers reversed; to prove to them that there are those who feel these works are acceptable.

Shiny

The fact that JNC doesn't have DRM makes it more likely that I'll buy their books directly. The high resolution graphics bonus content helps too.

One advantage of JNC being DRM free is that you won't lose books if JNC ever lose a licence... So long as you downloaded them before they lost the license.

@Sam-Pinansky said in J-Novel Membership Question:

@arcelio As long as you keep your account (whether you have an active membership or not), you'll continue to have access to download all the books in your "my library".

If in the future we lose the license for a title or the license expires, we'll no longer be able to let you redownload the epub anymore, so please make sure you download and keep a local copy somewhere safe too!

Yurii2202

@Perplexed, that’s exactly why I always look for it at J-Novel Club first whenever a novel piques my interest.