Tools of Change Publishing Feed

Updates on the DOJ and antitrust lawsuits against Apple, Macmillan and Penguin; Russian startup Pirate Pay targets BitTorrent file sharing; and Steve Rubel muses on digital media, social sharing and news consumption. Jenn Webb http://radar.oreilly.com/jennw

Ereaders may have their place now, but shifts toward the web and HTML5 make the iPad a wiser and more enduring choice for digital reading. Jenn Webb http://radar.oreilly.com/jennw

Ereaders are now commodities — improvements are incremental at best — but the fundamental qualities of these devices still make them compelling. Joe Wikert http://radar.oreilly.com/joew

The publisher of MIT's Technology Review talks apps and HTML5, RWW's Antone Gonsalves reviews B&N's chances of survival, and Amazon hires Sara Nelson. Jenn Webb http://radar.oreilly.com/jennw

The introduction of Google+ Hangouts On Air marks the beginning of live video's disruption. Here's two reasons why this is a big deal. Mac Slocum http://radar.oreilly.com/mslocum

Once booksellers accept the reality they can no longer just sell books, they can begin evolving into something dynamic and unique. Joe Wikert http://radar.oreilly.com/joew

Make it easy for people to help you — that's a simple but oft-overlooked concept that author Baratunde Thurston says is essential to book marketing. He shares additional marketing tips and tools in this interview. Sarah Milstein http://radar.oreilly.com/sarahm/

In this excerpt from "The Data Journalism Handbook," Liliana Bounegru connects the dots between the earliest forms of data journalism, the rise of computer-assisted reporting, and today's data-driven media efforts. Liliana Bounegru http://radar.oreilly.com/lilianab

B&N's Nook gets Microsoft's bankroll and will soon incorporate NFC, Amazon loses its shelf space at Target, and a publishing platform architect makes a strong argument for the end of ebooks. Jenn Webb http://radar.oreilly.com/jennw

In this week's visualization, Mike Kinde visualizes the etymology of the English words in various articles and books, including "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." Audrey Watters http://radar.oreilly.com/audreyw

Joe Wikert: Microsoft should use its investment in B&N's digital business to create an end-to-end consumer experience that rivals Apple's. Joe Wikert http://radar.oreilly.com/joew

Mike Hendrickson: "Adding DRM to content to deter theft ... are you kidding me? Seriously, think about that. It will take a good programmer about an hour to get past most DRM, or a manual shop somewhere in the world will cut and scan the physical book and away it goes." Mike Hendrickson http://www.mikehendrickson.com

A DRM-free world is one where retailers will find it much harder to create a monopolistic position that locks you into their device or format. Joe Wikert http://radar.oreilly.com/joew

Macmillan's imprints under publisher Tom Doherty Associates will be DRM-free come July, Harvard opens access to its data and research, and Felix Salmon suggests the NYT sell its scoops to hedge funds. Jenn Webb http://radar.oreilly.com/jennw

Abandoning DRM won't change the publishing landscape unless B&N, Kobo and others force the issue through innovative devices and apps. In fact, Joe Wikert says that same innovation can occur with or without DRM — so why wait? Joe Wikert http://radar.oreilly.com/joew

In this TOC podcast, Verane Pick talks about her work at Counter Intelligence Media. She also talks about gaming mechanisms and hints that gaming techniques may become an "engagement silo" in a future project. Joe Wikert http://radar.oreilly.com/joew

Litigation and intellectual property attorney Miles Feldman addresses issues of fair use, including the deciding factors courts consider, research tools to determine the status of works, and Creative Commons licensing. Jenn Webb http://radar.oreilly.com/jennw

It may be too late for the removal of DRM to make a difference for publishers, a textbook case heads to the Supreme Court, and Apple heads to court to seek validation. Jenn Webb http://radar.oreilly.com/jennw

Don Linn, president at Firebrand Associates, shares insights into the DOJ lawsuit and offers his take on what lies ahead for publishers and readers. Jenn Webb http://radar.oreilly.com/jennw

Amazon does a happy dance as five of the Big Six publishers and Apple are sued by the DoJ. Elsewhere, Yahoo looks to increase revenues with ebook ads, and B&N lights up its Nook. Jenn Webb http://radar.oreilly.com/jennw