Are Discoverability and DRM Mortal Enemies?

Publishers of ebooks have a dilemma: You want readers to find (and purchase) your products. But you don't want pirates making your products available for free. But is digital rights management (DRM) technology, one method publishers use (with questionable success) to combat piracy, a hindrance or even antithetical to content discovery?

At the Publishing Business Virtual Conference and Expo, an expert panel debated this very question. Moderated by the inimitable Christopher Kenneally of the Copyright Clearance Center, Peter McCarthy (Director of McCarthy Digital), Patricia Payton (Senior Director, Publisher Relations & Content Development at Bowker) and Brian O'Leary (Principal at Magellan Media Partners) discussed these very issues.

Will DRM exist? Are we moving from an ownership world to an access world where intellectual property is concerned? How will libraries' role in discoverability evolve as ebooks become more prevalent? Does DRM stop piracy? Is DRM-protected content less valuable to a publisher?

These questions and more are discussed in "Discoverability Vs. DRM," a webinar that is available on-demand now. (Registration required.)