Image Comics announce DRM free digital releases

[strawman]

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/07/drm-free-comics-download-image/

"Image Comics announced at its Image Expo convention that it will now sell all of its digital comics as downloadable via its website for both desktop and mobile users, making it the first major U.S. publisher to offer DRM-free digital versions of comics. Readers can even choose the file format they prefer: PDFs, EPUBs, CBRs or CBZs."

Well hey, it's about time.

 

[Gilgamesh]

Comics have DRM?

 

[Frank]

comixology and such services do.

If Image makes them easy to buy and prices them to be worth the purchase (4 bucks for a digital comic that I may lose access to, fuck you) awesome, I'm in.

 

[strawman]

Comics have DRM?

Doesn't your comic book require fingerprint authentication before you can flip open the first page?

(fixed the title... better?)

 

[Tress]

Comics have DRM?

I can't find the link, but a few months ago JManga shut down their online service. This included removing all comics that customers had purchased from any devices (they never allowed customers to actually download the comics). So, no matter how much or little you had spent to "buy" comics through their service, it was gone.

The company's reaction to customer unhappiness could be summarized with a simple phrase: "Sucks to be you."

 

[Gilgamesh]

No, what I mean is, I've never seen any kind of DRM on any online comics I've purchased or other means owned. Like, ever?

 

[strawman]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JManga#Terminating_service[DOUBLEPOST=1373146429][/DOUBLEPOST]

No, what I mean is, I've never seen any kind of DRM on any online comics I've purchased or other means owned. Like, ever?

From what sites do you buy your digital comics? It sounds, then, that Image isn't the first to embrace DRM free digital comics.

 

[Gilgamesh]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JManga#Terminating_service[DOUBLEPOST=1373146429][/DOUBLEPOST]

From what sites do you buy your digital comics? It sounds, then, that Image isn't the first to embrace DRM free digital comics.

Perhaps I'm not understanding what DRM is being used? As far as buying digital? It's rare. I mostly download what I buy physical so that I don't have to damage/dirty up the physical copies I buy that support my favorite artists.

 

[Ravenpoe]

Perhaps I'm not understanding what DRM is being used? As far as buying digital? It's rare. I mostly download what I buy physical so that I don't have to damage/dirty up the physical copies I buy that support my favorite artists.

So then you don't buy digital. You buy physical copies and then pirate scans of it.

 

[Tress]

I would argue that forbidding downloads and restricting usage to online-required viewing is a nasty, yet common, form of DRM in digital comics.

 

[Gilgamesh]

So then you don't buy digital. You buy physical copies and then pirate scans of it.

Um yeah I do, I've purchased a few issues from Marvel online that I couldn't get physical or downloaded.

 

[strawman]

Perhaps I'm not understanding what DRM is being used? As far as buying digital?

If you get a PDF or JPG/PNG images of the comic that you can view on any computer or operating system without jumping through hoops (like downloading their special player, or viewing them only from their website, etc) then you are probably already getting DRM free comics.

Right now most digital comics can only be viewed on their website after you've signed in (and you can't copy them to your computer) or via special programs or applications, such as the comixology or Marvel comics apps on iOS and Android, then you have DRM comics, and if the company shuts down their servers, you no longer own the comics you paid for, and will be unable to view them.

 

[Covar]

From what sites do you buy your digital comics? It sounds, then, that Image isn't the first to embrace DRM free digital comics.

Rebellion Entertainment (2000 AD) sells their books DRM free through ther website. Has been for a few years now.