The DRM that Adobe uses to encrypt ePub books served through their Adobe Digital Editions (via Content Server) can be cracked using a couple of easy to find Python scripts. Someone will find (probably already has found) a way to crack the FairPlay DRM Apple uses in iTunes (though it does sound more complex than Content Server). Then, with a little bit of effort, any motivated person will be able to permanently "open" a DRM'ed ePub book. Once he has the opened ePub he can use it on any platform/device he chooses, and it is up to him to decide if he wants to break the law and give it or sell it to someone else. <br>
<br>I appreciate O'Reilly's stance. They know that the more restrictive you make the DRM on a book you sell, the more roadblocks to usage the rightful owner will encounter in using the book--limits on how many personal copies he can make of something he legally purchased, limits on which of his own devices he can use to read/listen to them. <br>
<br>O'Reilly seem to implicitly trust that people will tend to do the ethical thing and buy a book, rather than steal it. And they seem to believe that the tendency once you buy something is not to give it away for free.<br>
<br>Apple (and most major book publishers), on the other hand, want to keep the user using iTunes for everything, and seem not to trust that someone who pays for a book will respect copyright. I find that attitude insulting and infantilizing--and if I were interested in pirating books, the insult and infantilization would provide strong motivation.<br>
<br>ken<br clear="all">--<br>
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 12:28 PM, Shelley Haven <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ShelleyHaven@techpotential.net">ShelleyHaven@techpotential.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word;">The LA Times reports that Apple is offering their DRM "FairPlay" (currently used on iTunes) to publishers for their ePub-formatted ebooks on the upcoming iPad. It limits how many times digital songs can be copied to other devices; presumably it would work the same, limiting how many instances of a downloaded ebook could co-exist on a user's devices. (Link below article.)<div>
<br><div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px;"><h1 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 26px; font-weight: 100; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/02/apple-ibooks-drm-fairplay.html" rel="bookmark" title="Apple to wrap digital books in FairPlay copy protection [Clarified]" style="font-weight: 100; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Apple to wrap digital books in FairPlay copy protection [Clarified]</a></h1>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;">February 15, 2010</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">
When Apple launches its iBook store to sell titles for its new iPad device in March, many of its titles are expected to come with a set of handsome digital locks designed to deter piracy.</p><p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">
Veteran iTunes customers will recognize the locks as FairPlay, a digital rights management software that once limited how many times digital songs can be copied onto different computers. (Apple <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/01/06itunes.html" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(34, 98, 204); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">phased out</a> FairPlay for music a year ago, and now sells unfettered tunes.)</p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Next month, Apple will be dusting off those digital cuffs for books, according to sources in the publishing industry.</p><p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">
No doubt some publishers, including O'Reilly Media -- which has vociferously argued that digital locks are harmful to sales -- will opt not to deploy FairPlay. (O'Reilly, which puts out technical books, was not on the list of five publishers during Apple's announcement of the iPad, but is discussing a deal with Apple.)</p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">But the majority of publishers are expected to embrace FairPlay, along with other copy protection software such as Adobe's <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/contentserver/" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(34, 98, 204); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Content Server 4</a>, as a means to squelch incipient book piracy as the e-book market begins to take off.</p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">-- Alex Pham</p><p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"><b style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">Clarified 1:50 pm:</b> <i style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">An earlier version of this post said Apple phased out FairPlay a year ago and now sells songs without DRM. Apple continues to use FairPlay to protect other iTunes content. Thanks to our readers for noticing this omission!</i></p>
</div></div></span></div><a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/02/apple-ibooks-drm-fairplay.html" target="_blank">http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/02/apple-ibooks-drm-fairplay.html</a></div>
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