The Los Angeles Times confirms that Apple will be using its standard FairPlay DRM system (formerly used on music and still used on apps, videos, and other content) for the protection of books offered through the iBooks store.
Unlike Amazon, apparently Apple will not insist books carry this DRM if publishers do not want to include it. The article mentions that O’Reilly, which eschews DRM on its e-books, is in talks with Apple to publish through iBooks as well.
Interestingly, the article notes,
But the majority of publishers are expected to embrace FairPlay, along with other copy protection software such as Adobe’s Content Server 4, as a means to squelch incipient book piracy as the e-book market begins to take off.
Does this mean iBooks will also support Adobe’s ADEPT DRM scheme after all? How curious.
Chris – Amazon does not insist on all publishers using DRM. All the O’Reilly Kindle books are available without DRM.
Publishers providing their Kindle ebooks via MobiPocket must use DRM. This may now be a shrinking fraction of all Kindle ebooks.
Many major publishers insist on DRM (all their non-Kindle ebooks also have DRM).
Well, major publishers insist on DRM but I find it reasonable enough to be fair with the copy right. Unfortunately, hackers can still find a way to crack these things later on.
My novels are available on the Kindle store without DRM. I suspect the article’s comment about “other CP software” refers to their offerings on other sites/readers that already use ADEPT.
Man, I hope not. If DRM-free isn’t an option, and I have to choose between FairPlay and Adobe DRM, I’ll choose FairPlay every time. Adobe’s DRM ‘solutions’ are trash.
Hasn’t FairPlay been hacked ages ago? I also have to question the wisdom of Apple, considering how it got shot down for using DRM on music.
I suspect that in the LA times bit you quote that what they mean is that publishers are embracing DRM, whether it be FairPlay on Apple’s iPad, or Adobe DRM on the Nook, or whatever DRM will go with whatever device offering ebooks.
I doubt very much that Apple would pay Adobe in order to double-up on DRM on the books they stock in the iBookstore, especially since they seem happy enough with FairPlay.
Man, that’s all we need — double or triple the DRM layers!
Sounds like DVD Jon might come up with ebook reading software, then. 🙂
I agree with asotir about the meaning of that quotation from LATimes.