In an attempt to overthrow Amazon in the e-reader game, Sony's turning a new leaf.
The company plans to sell electronic books only in the open ePub format by the end of the year, according to the New York Times. The ePub format, which is backed by book publishers Random House and HarperCollins, allows users to read the books on a variety of devices instead of just one.
Proprietary formats, such as the one used by Amazon's Kindle, are generally viewed as a stumbling block for mainstream adoption of e-readers. While proprietary formats can bind consumers to one device, it also scares off potential customers who don't want to be told how their content can be accessed.
The Times sees the e-reader developments as mirroring online music. Just as Apple ruled with its own file format due to massive market share, causing other companies to work together on open standards, Sony and other companies are hoping to gun for Amazon.
Having a common format for electronic books is like having MP3 for music instead of a file that's only usable on one player. In that regard, it seems Sony is learning a lesson from its proprietary ATRAC music format. The company admitted long ago that ATRAC was a bad idea, but only now does Sony have a true shot at making good on its mistakes. Sony can be a leader with ePub, and it has the hardware to back it up.
That's not to say Sony has completely learned its lesson. While the company will abandon proprietary DRM, it plans use anti-copying software from Adobe in its files. It's not clear how the DRM will work, but it should limit the amount of times a file can be copied.
The use of DRM may be a matter of appeasing book publishers, but if this is indeed MP3 all over again, everyone should know that DRM-free wins out in the end.
