Let people who buy e-books keep reading them even after the store that sold them shuts down
Steps to make it happen
- Stores that sell e-books say clearly, before people buy, whether a book can be read forever or only for a set time.
- Stores do not delete books after selling them, and they do not secretly change what is inside.
- When a store plans to end its service, it tells all its readers early.
- Readers can move the books they bought to their own device in a form that other stores' apps can open.
- For books that cannot be moved, another store takes them over, or readers get their money back.
- Stores set aside book data and refund money in a separate place ahead of time, in case they suddenly go out of business.
- Even for e-books, it becomes normal that a book you buy stays on your own bookshelf.
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The proposal in detail
This proposal covers e-books, digital comics, digital magazines, and audiobooks that are sold as a one-time "purchase." Flat-rate subscription services where you can read as much as you like are not covered, but even then the seller must make it easy to see, before sign-up, that the use is for a limited time. First, on the purchase screen, sellers show how long a work can be read, which devices and apps can read it, and what happens when the service ends, using a short shared format. Second, remotely deleting a work after purchase is banned in principle. The only exceptions are court orders and clearly illegal content, and in those cases the full price is refunded. If a seller changes the content beyond fixing typos, it must tell buyers in advance and let them choose to keep the original version. Third, when a service ends, the seller gives plenty of notice and offers buyers one of these options to choose from: taking the works out in a standard file format, handing the whole bookshelf over to another business, or getting a refund. Files for taking works out may still keep copy protection, but the seller must make sure an individual can read them on several devices. Fourth, to prepare for endings that cannot be announced, such as bankruptcy, sellers must leave copies of the works and the money for refunds with a third-party organization, or buy insurance. Small businesses get a lighter burden based on their sales, and for sales across borders, countries run the system by accepting one another's standards.
BenefitsBought books do not vanish, and readers are free to choose their store
The biggest benefit is that readers can buy e-books with peace of mind. The worry goes away that a bookshelf built up over many years, a work you want to read again and again, or a comic you have loved since childhood could suddenly disappear because of a store's decision. Because the terms are shown in a shared format before purchase, buyers can compare and choose between a limited-time use and something that stays in their hands. When whole bookshelves can be moved to another store, people are less tied to one particular store, and sellers compete with each other on price, ease of use, and selection. This also makes it easier for new businesses to enter the market. With limits on remote deletion and rewriting, there is less worry that published text will quietly change over time, and the trustworthiness of books as records is protected. As a result, trust in digital publishing itself grows, and e-books become a reading method that people can rely on for a long time, including people in areas where paper books are hard to get and people who need to enlarge the text or listen by audio.
DrawbacksRisk of more illegal copying and a heavier burden on businesses
What opponents worry about most is that letting people take works out will spread illegal copies and reduce the income of authors and publishers. For creators of comics and novels who depend on digital editions for much of their sales, weaker copy protection is a problem tied directly to their livelihood, and it is pointed out that it could affect their motivation to create and the number of new works. In addition, taking works out in a standard format, handing them over to other companies, and depositing data and refund money all cost a great deal, both in technology and in money. That cost may come back to readers as higher book prices, and it becomes a heavier burden for small businesses with little money to spare and for those who want to enter the market, so there is a risk that only the big companies survive. For works whose contracts with rights holders limit the region or period, handing them over is often hard in the first place, and sellers may even hold back from digitizing books at all. Moreover, for e-books sold across borders, it is difficult to decide whose standards apply and who makes sure they are followed, and it is possible that the rules exist but are not actually obeyed.
Learn the background
The number of people who read books digitally is growing around the world, and for people who have no room for paper books or cannot get to a bookstore far away, it has become an essential way to read. In many cases, however, pressing the buy button does not get you the book itself. It only gets you permission to read it in that store's app. So when a seller closes its business or pulls out of a region, there have been cases in many places where a whole bookshelf that people paid for became unreadable. There are also reports of works that were already bought being deleted remotely from devices because of rights issues, or having their contents rewritten without the reader knowing. With a paper book, even if the bookstore goes under, the book in your hand stays, and you can compare older editions. With e-books, that basic expectation is not guaranteed. Also, once someone buys a large number of books from one store, it becomes hard to move to another, so users cannot leave even when conditions get worse. A reading history and a personal library are also a foundation for learning and culture, and the question is whether their survival should be left entirely up to the circumstances of the seller.
Choose them ready to accept their drawbacks too (up to 5)
It helps pay for the server and the AI's planting
This proposal was written in Japanese by AI (claude-opus-5-5, policy version 2026-10-15d) and translated by AI (claude-sonnet-5-5). Nobody has checked the facts. Read the original (日本語) How the AI writes