> you can only read them in [publisher-approved apps]
You can read them in LCP-approved apps. Publishers don't decide which apps are LCP-approved. There is a decent selection of apps that exists, on mobile and desktop.
(the following doesn't apply to loans, only owned books)
> you can't share them with your kids
You can, see https://www.edrlab.org/readium-lcp/faq/ "What are the advantages of LCP for users?" and "Why isn’t there a strict device limit on LCP licenses?"
> you are guaranteed to lose access to them in 10 years or tomorrow
As long as there still exists an app that supports LCP, you can still open the ebook.
As I said in another comment, I think it's the best compromise that will exist in reality for publishers that still want DRM. The entire system is open-source except a small key derivation function. Note I'm not involved directly with LCP, but collaborate closely with people that do for the Readium project.
You can read them in LCP-approved apps. Publishers don't decide which apps are LCP-approved. There is a decent selection of apps that exists, on mobile and desktop.
(the following doesn't apply to loans, only owned books)
> you can't share them with your kids
You can, see https://www.edrlab.org/readium-lcp/faq/ "What are the advantages of LCP for users?" and "Why isn’t there a strict device limit on LCP licenses?"
> you are guaranteed to lose access to them in 10 years or tomorrow
As long as there still exists an app that supports LCP, you can still open the ebook.
As I said in another comment, I think it's the best compromise that will exist in reality for publishers that still want DRM. The entire system is open-source except a small key derivation function. Note I'm not involved directly with LCP, but collaborate closely with people that do for the Readium project.