Protect Your Digital Library: Advanced eBook DRM Techniques

Authors, publishers, and digital content creators invest a significant amount of time and resources to create and distribute high-quality content. However, the growth of digital content piracy is a real threat that digital content creators are grappling with. 

A piracy study concerning books, eBooks, and audiobooks in Italy, for instance, indicated that approximately 108.4 million acts of piracy are committed annually. Losses to the country comprise an estimated revenue of $1.9 billion and $326 million in tax revenue. This is where the implementation of eBook DRM, or Digital Rights Management systems, can help reduce and possibly prevent online piracy altogether. Cloud-based digital publishing platform KITABOO, for instance, enables easy creation and publishing of DRM-protected eBooks.  

In this blog, let’s explore eBook DRM and the various advanced techniques that publishers can leverage today. 

Table of Contents :

I. What is an eBook DRM?

II. Key Advanced eBook DRM Techniques 

• Complete Management Of User Access 
• Limiting Access
• Specifying Timeframes 
• Assertion Of Ownership
• License Management
• Encrypting eBooks 
• Cross-Platform Compatibility

III. Benefits Of eBook DRM For Publishers

IV. Choosing The Right DRM Tool 

V. The Takeaway

Protecting your eBooks from plagiarism and piracy is a top priority for publishers, today. The development of DRM systems is revolutionizing the digital content space because technology does the work. 

eBook DRM software, essentially, helps creators manage access to their digital content, thus helping to protect the copyrights, and revenues associated with their content. The growth of the DRM-protected content culture is helping both creators and consumers to comply with intellectual property rights (IPR) laws. 

The DRM market size is estimated to be worth $ 4.96 billion in 2024. It is expected to have a reach of $ 8.55 billion by 2029. Enterprise DRM systems are helping to protect all types of digital content, from movies and web series to corporate content such as reports, music, and eBooks. 

Adopting the use of eBooks DRM systems such as KITABOO automates the process, and enables publishers to seamlessly produce DRM-protected eBooks. 

There are several DRM techniques, which eBook publishers can leverage to add extra layers of protection. Here is a snapshot of techniques: 

eBook DRM systems help publishers manage access to all eBooks by restricting access only to authorized users. Access controls enable users to perform actions such as reading, saving, sharing to favorites, printing, and taking screenshots. Unauthorized users are prevented from performing all these actions.

Another key technique is to limit access to eBooks by factors such as device access. For instance, eBooks in Apple’s digital library are only accessible to Apple devices. Other factors include limiting access to specific IP addresses, or by geographical location. For instance, eBooks may be launched in phases across continents or countries. Geographical access limitation helps align launches with country access.  

Publishers can establish timeframes of usage for every digital product. For instance, if a user purchases an eBook, they can have lifetime access. However, if they rent an eBook, they may have access for a month, a year, and so on and so forth, based on the subscription model. There could also be a cap on the number of times it can be accessed. 

Another technique for protecting your eBooks copyright is to add a watermark across digital content such as eBooks. This approach asserts the ownership of the digital content.

Today, a DRM system also facilitates license management. This means that every eBook can have a unique license. By using this unique license, publishers can track usage of the eBook, flag cases of unauthorized access, and revoke access to stop misuse. This process puts more control in the hands of publishers. 

While controlled access is useful, publishers can also leverage encryption of content to add an extra layer of protection. eBooks can be encoded with the use of encryption algorithms. This means that even if a user gets unauthorized access, they will be unable to read the content unless they use the decryption key to unlock access. For instance, a digital textbook platform like KITABOO employs a 128-bit encryption technique to help publishers safeguard their eBooks. 

Today, readers may access the same eBook via multiple platforms as well as devices. Hence, eBook DRM systems also ensure that access can be controlled in such as context, yet making it a seamless experience. A digital textbook platform like KITABOO, for instance, is designed to deliver cross-platform compatibility, an important DRM technique. 

eBook DRM systems deliver several advantages to publishers as follows: 

• They prevent unauthorized content access across devices and platforms. Access to eBooks can also be controlled by region and IP addresses. 
• They enable publishers to design innovative, market-focused subscription models and drive revenues. Publishers can also provide free access and leverage this factor in their marketing campaigns. 
• They are paving the way for users’ regulatory compliance, thus reducing piracy and plagiarism. Users are also becoming more aware of their role in these IPR crimes. 
• Lack of unauthorized access helps publishers protect their revenues and bottom lines. Businesses have great potential to be profitable and also generate tax revenue
• They come with in-depth data insights that help publishers understand user patterns and shape their eBook content and marketing strategies
• The overall ROI of publishing operations is boosted by ensuring an efficient, tech-enabled process to manage the distribution of eBooks securely. 

The demand for DRM tools has grown significantly, and several software packages are available to businesses. However, publishers can consider leveraging a comprehensive digital publishing suite, which comes with an in-built DRM system. Adopting such a solution eliminates the need to use a third-party DRM tool. This approach is cost-effective and reduces the need for integration. 

Cloud-based digital publishing solution KITABOO, for example, comes with an in-software DRM system, giving publishers full management control of their digital assets. Publishers can manage the full spectrum of controls—from free and paid access to fixing time frames and location controls. Access can be controlled across devices and platforms. Publishers can also encrypt eBooks to provide an extra layer of protection.

The adoption of eBook DRM is a growing trend, mirroring the success of DRM as applied to films and web series streamed on OTT and paid social media channels. With buying, renting, and subscription models in play, revenues can reach the rightful owners of eBooks, thus enabling publishers to be profitable and reap the benefits of their hard work. 

Publishers can now partner with the digital textbook publishing platform KITABOO, which enables the easy creation, publishing, and distribution of DRM-protected eBooks. Leverage our cloud-based digital publishing platform, available in both a licensed version (one-time purchase) and a flexible subscription model.

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