Penguin to offer DRM-free audiobooks

But thinks Kindle isn't much cop

4 March 2008 14:32 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Penguin is planning to offer audiobooks that are free of digital copyright protection technology, which means they can be played across any digital device, The Guardian reports.

The 73-year-old publishing company has announced it will experiment with selling DRM-free digital versions of its audiobooks online.

Chief executive Marjorie Scardino that although piracy was an issue, the company wanted to look to the future:

"I don't think we can be worried about every incursion from electronic selling and electronic use. We have got to think about what the future is going to be and look at how to experiment with it."

And, although Penguin appear to be with the programme as far as modern downloads go, Scardino appeared unimpressed with that other 21st-Century digital book device - the e-Book reader.

The Penguin boss said of Amazon's Kindle: "is not quite there yet, and I think we are still waiting for that piece of kit. It's like downloadable music - iTunes came first but without the iPod I think that would not have really mattered".