Palm Reader/E book license questions

[Gnam]

I still haven't bought an ebook from PalmReader but I'm almost there! :)

I would like to know how the license works.

I've understood that the book is coded in a special way and should only be readable on my Palm once downloaded. That's fine and I understand that policy.

What happens when I format / hard reset my Palm? Do I have to download a new copy of the ebook even if I keep the same Username on my Palm?

And what happens when I change my Palm? Again, Do I have to download a new copy of the ebook even if I keep the same Username on my Palm?

Last question: How many times am I entitled to download an ebook that I have purchased?

Thanks to any kind sould that takes the time to reply :)
Gnam

[sdkat2]

I've purchased books at PalmDigitalMedia and have them installed to read on my PC and my handheld. I've re-downloaded many times as I upgraded my Palm and my PC. At that website, the ebook is tied to a user name and unlock code generated at the time of purchase. It is not based on your handheld user name. I believe Fictionwise works in a similar fashion.

Kat

[Peppy]

I have a file on my PC for ebooks. So I almost never redownload anything, I just reinstall it. You can reinstall a million times if you want and I think you could redownload it that many times as well.

By the way, the unlock code has NOTHING to do with your user name. It has everything to do with your CREDIT CARD NUMBER! When you go to unlock a book on your handheld for the first time your Palm will ask you for the credit card number you used when you purchased the book. Enter it and POOF! The book opens. If you always use the same credit number at Palm Digital Media then Palm reader Pro will remember this and you actually won't ever have to reenter the number again, even as you buy new books. That is, of course, until you upgrade or if you ever decide to hard reset and fresh install everything. Then you will have to enter it once more.

Once in a while my husband and I share e-books. He can put something I purchased on his Palm (which has its own user name) and read it. That is because he knows my credit card number and has entered it.

Hope all of that made sense.

Peppy

[Gnam]

Originally posted by Peppy
By the way, the unlock code has NOTHING to do with your user name. It has everything to do with your CREDIT CARD NUMBER!

Thanks for answering (both of you)!

This Credit Card protection doesn't sound good to me - what happens when I change my credit card number? Do I lose all my books and can no longer download from the site my purchased copies?

Gnam

[sdkat2]

On the Palm Digital Media site you can change the credit card number for your current purchases and then set the new credit card number to open the old purchases. I believe you will just have to download the old ebook again after changing the number. You can check the site for more complete information. It's all very, very easy.

I have changed my credit card numbers a couple of times with no problems.

[jglover]

Originally posted by Gnam
Thanks for answering (both of you)!

This Credit Card protection doesn't sound good to me - what happens when I change my credit card number? Do I lose all my books and can no longer download from the site my purchased copies?

Gnam

You can always update your info on PDM's account pages, but the easier thing is to store your card numbers on your Palm, using something like Splash ID or Teallock. That way, you will always have your unlock codes for your ebooks handy, even if you do change the card number.

[Gnam]

Originally posted by jglover
You can always update your info on PDM's account pages, but the easier thing is to store your card numbers on your Palm, using something like Splash ID or Teallock. That way, you will always have your unlock codes for your ebooks handy, even if you do change the card number.

Okay...so it doesn't matter if the card is no longer active-that's good to know.

Right, as soon as I have some spare time <i'm going to buy an ebook.

Tonight I've purchased Fonts4OS5 - fantastic!! Nice, neat and small fonts (I think I'm using Serif 16) that look good even in PalmReader. :-)

Gnam

[jglover]

Originally posted by Gnam
Okay...so it doesn't matter if the card is no longer active-that's good to know.

Right, as soon as I have some spare time <i'm going to buy an ebook.

Tonight I've purchased Fonts4OS5 - fantastic!! Nice, neat and small fonts (I think I'm using Serif 16) that look good even in PalmReader. :-)

Gnam

Nope, the card does not have to be active, as far as I know, the card number is just used as the lock code for the book. The main purpose I think is to defeat piracy....would you want to give your credit card number to everyone who wanted to read your ebook??

[bryus]

Well, it sounds like jglover and sdkat2 have answered all your questions well.

In summary.

1. The Name on your CC and the CC# are the key to unlocking your PR eBook.

2. Changing your credit card number requires you to redownload all your old eBooks with the new CC#, however, the old books you have already downloaded will continue to work with the old CC# This is true for both Palm Digital Media and Fictionwise.

I had to do this last year when my Visa changed to a MasterCard. I got a new number and had to update it. It went without a hitch on both sites. PDM encodes all downloads with the latest CC#, but Fictionwise actually lets me download your eBooks with either CC#.

3. Unlike other DRM that is tied to the Palm User ID, this does allow you to share PR eBooks with family members. This is a form of "fair use" that I appreciate. I think this does make the DRM better than that used by Microsoft Reader which requires you to "Register" your handheld.