Digital copyright: Pick a book | The Economist Stoking the trend is consumers’ growing realisation that they may not be
(as they often think) buying their e-books, music downloads and other
digital content outright. In many cases they are in effect just renting
them, subject to tough rules buried in small print. Proprietary software
can tie the e-book to a particular device. And the provider of the
content can revoke the owner’s rights at whim.