There are more and more tools related to ebooks: powerful eReaders, large stores, self-publishing applications, etc. However, copyright and private copying rights remain stuck in a format that, far from being overcome, continues to be emphasized. I'm referring to DRM , a format that many consider a hindrance to the expansion of ebooks and which we are now seeing expand through the new web format, HTML5.
What is DRM?
It seems that nowadays this question is irrelevant, but there are still many people who are unaware of it or who, while researching how to buy an eReader, come across these unfamiliar initials. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management , software that is added to the ebook and allows the publisher, author, or distributor to impose restrictions on that ebook, such as copying, printing, sharing, or simply viewing it on a specific device.
Buying ebooks with DRM means that we can only use the ebook on the device where we download it, thus limiting the customer's rights, since we pay for the title.
This argument has been the most popular when it comes to fighting this format and the one that has made it less and less supportive.
However, DRM doesn't always prohibit the use of a downloaded ebook on another device; sometimes this software restricts its use to a specific period of time, after which access to that ebook is lost.
I have a few ebooks with DRM, how do I see them?
To view DRM-protected ebooks, you'll need to have the DRM software installed on the computer or device you want to view them on. This is usually Adobe 's software, but other companies also supply it for ebooks. Once installed, and after obtaining the identification code provided by the software, you'll be able to view the ebook you purchased. The process is cumbersome , even the distributors themselves acknowledge, but they maintain that it's the only way to combat piracy.
I don't want to make that identification, how do I free my books from DRM?
There are many times when we don't want DRM , but it's the only way to get the ebook. Therefore, many systems exist that can remove this software from our purchased ebooks . This removal has its pros and cons . Generally, and up to now, one can remove this software from their ebooks by invoking personal copying and private use laws, which allow us to back up our private files and documents. However, these "liberated" ebooks cannot be distributed, or rather, sold, which is the most common use of these private copies. At Todo eReaders, you'll find tutorials on how to remove DRM from ebooks purchased from Amazon or Barnes & Noble (which are only sold by them), so you can use them on eReaders like Sony or Kobo without having to buy a Kindle or Nook. But this is only for private copying and only if the ebook is yours.
DRM and HTML5, a nonsense?
Recently, with the popularization of the new HTML standard , the use of DRM in this web format is spreading . Many claim that this is being achieved through pressure on the W3C , the organization responsible for regulating web formats. Personally, I think that associating DRM with HTML is an aberration . The HTML format is closely linked to the internet—who doesn't know that?—and trying to restrict the format is like trying to restrict the internet and therefore goes against the very principle of the web. I imagine that the W3C will either impose or allow DRM in HTML, but both developers and users will ignore it and reject it, as has happened with some of the W3C's ideas. Don't you think so ? Let's hope this doesn't escalate. What do you think ? Do you support DRM or are you against it ? Have you ever "released" an ebook ? Was it very difficult ? And what about any DRM software ? You can comment so the newbie can see what DRM is like.
More Information – Wikipedia , Tutorial: Remove DRM from Kindle eBooks , Infecting eBooks with “malware”, the new idea against piracy ,
Image – Flickr by Listentomyvoice