Is anyone here subscribed to Scribd?

Jean Dimitriadis wrote:

Hello Artem,

I have used Scribd’s paid subscription on occasion in the past. When it comes to reference and learning material, I want to have full access and return to it at any point in the future. Unless you keep renewing your subscription, that won’t work with Scribd’s model. I still found it useful for burst reading during a month, focusing on material that you want to review in detail before purchasing or that is not easily accessible otherwise.

Because there are many other ways of accessing learning and reference material…

Jean

Jean Dimitriadis wrote:

The platform has evolved over the years, but currently:

Scribd is a reading subscription that is available anytime and on any device. Enjoy access to 3 books and 1 audiobook each month — plus unlimited access to magazines and documents — for $8.99 / month.

You can see for yourself with a 30 days free subscription (although you’ll need to enter your credit card details and remember to cancel before the end of the month).

Documents are mostly PDFs uploaded by other users. Those you can download (Magazines I don’t know, never tried).

If a Document interests you but you only have a free Scribd account, you can either renew your membership or upload a PDF document yourself. 1 uploaded document = 1 authorized document download. The same document cannot be uploaded more than once. That is how the Scribd document section got so rich.

As far as I know, you can’t download Books or Audiobooks (what they call Commercial Content), only access them through Scribd. They make use of DRM.

Here’s what I found in their Terms and Policies: https://support.scribd.com/hc/en-us/articles/210129486

Options for Paid Access. Scribd provides You with access to eBooks, audiobooks and documents from participating publishers and Users (“Scribd Commercial Content”) in one of two ways – either by Direct Purchase or by Membership.

- Direct Purchases. In the case of Direct Purchases, Scribd, and the participating publisher or User, grant You a limited, nonexclusive, nontransferable, revocable and personal license to access and use a digital copy of the selected Scribd Commercial Content for Your personal reference and informational purposes. Additional terms and conditions (i.e., additional usage limitations) may apply to Your access to Scribd Commercial Content in which case those terms will be communicated to you in connection with your access to such content. For example, the rights granted to You do not include the right to download a copy of the selected Scribd Commercial Content unless the such terms are provided with the Scribd Commercial Content you have selected for Direct Purchase.
- Memberships. In the case of Membership, Scribd, and the participating publishers or Users, grant You a limited, nonexclusive, nontransferable, revocable and personal license to access and use all Scribd Commercial Content available under Your Membership for Your personal reference and informational purposes.

In the restrictions section, there is an explicit mention to DRM:

- Scribd Commercial Content is provided for Your personal non-commercial use only;
- No commercial or promotional use rights are granted in any Scribd Commercial Content;
- You may not sell, distribute, or display any Scribd Commercial Content other than for personal use;
- You may not share, lend, or rent copies of Scribd Commercial Content;
- You may not disable or circumvent DRM supplied with Scribd Commercial Content;
- You may not exceed usage limitations set by content providers (participating publisher or User);
- You may not make copies of all or any portion of any Scribd Commercial Content;
- You are prohibited from making any public display or public performance of Scribd Commercial Content, or sharing accounts that allow access to Scribd Commercial Content; and
- The ability to print/copy/paste and/or download may be restricted by the participating publisher or User who submitted the Scribd Commercial Content.

So, if you want to download and own the material you get with no absurd restrictions, here is a list of DRM-free publishers, stores, platforms, libraries and other resources:

https://www.defectivebydesign.org/guide/ebooks

Jean