digital rights management software

Digital Rights Management Software: Protect Content & Drive Revenues

Today, digital publishing has great potential to grow, innovate, and capture new audiences. However, the rise of online privacy is a concern for publishers. A survey conducted by Nielsen indicated that publishers in the US lose almost $ 315 million each year.

The online piracy of eBooks, for instance, is aided by the growth of pirated eBook libraries, which engage in illegal downloads. It is challenging to track and shut down such operations, which eat into publisher revenues. However, the good news is that the use of innovative technology is helping to solve this problem to some extent. 

For instance, early adoption of digital rights management software is helping publishers protect their content and bottom line in cost-effective ways. And as digital publishing continues to evolve, the use of digital rights management (DRM) software plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges posed by online piracy.

In this blog, let’s understand what exactly digital rights management software is, its benefits and impact, and how publishers can protect their digital assets using this technology without breaking the bank.  

Table of Contents:

I. What are Digital Publishing Solutions?

II. Why Do Publishers Need Digital Rights Management Software?  

III. Benefits of DRM-Protected eBooks for Publishers

IV. The Takeaway

What are Digital Publishing Solutions?

Digital rights management software is an automated solution that enables organizations to store, manage, and distribute digital assets such as reports, videos, web shows, and eBooks, to name a few, efficiently and securely. Access to this software gives businesses control over who can access their content. 

Today, almost all organizations own digital assets. Hence, digital rights management software can be used by businesses across many domains in diverse contexts. Here are two use cases. 

A corporation, for instance, may leverage it to distribute a classified report to select recipients instead of using email, which can be leaked. 

Here’s another growing context: Creative businesses and content developers who create and market digital content as part of their main business model can also reap the benefits of using digital rights management software

Digital publishers, for instance, can benefit by producing digital rights management (DRM)-protected assets that are challenging to download without authorized access.

kitaboo webinar

Why Do Publishers Need Digital Rights Management Software?

The digital publishing industry is expected to grow to a market size of $79.6 billion by 2028. Industry products range from eBooks and white papers to periodicals and multimedia content, which are marketed to a wide spectrum of audiences, from students to working professionals. 

However, online piracy continues to be a key threat facing this industry. Publishers must be in a position to protect content that is painstakingly created from being illegally downloaded. 

Such incidents not only constitute copyright infringement but also eat into a publisher’s revenues. The inability to control online piracy of their digital content makes it challenging for publishers to build a sustainable, profitable business. On the other hand, the adoption of superior digital rights management software is a cost-effective solution for publishers.

Let’s understand the multiple ways in which it serves publishers.

Benefits of DRM-Protected eBooks for Publishers

DRM protection not only provides security for digital content but also offers several benefits for publishers. With its implementation in the publishing industry, DRM (Digital Rights Management) protection can contribute to various advantages for publishers.

Here’s a round-up of how digital rights management software positively impacts digital publishers and their bottom line.

Protects eBooks from Online Piracy

The online piracy of eBooks has grown significantly over the last few years. Several pirated libraries have mushroomed, which allows users to download eBooks for free.

By using digital rights management software, publishers can prevent downloads of their eBooks. Only authorized users can access their content, thus reducing piracy risks.

Protects Revenues

Illegal downloads of eBooks have impacted publishers’ revenues significantly. However, DRM-protected books can only be accessed by paying customers. Thus, publisher revenues are protected. Yet, free access can be provided to some chapters or an entire eBook, as per the publisher’s discretion.

Helps You Build Subscription Models

The use of digital rights management software enables publishers to build multiple subscription models for a wide range of digital content. For instance, students can rent their textbooks for a year rather than pay for a lifetime purchase. Secondly, publishers can offer collections at attractive prices. The possibilities are limitless once publishers have the ability to control access.


Guide:
How to Build an eBook Store

Offers In-depth Data Analytics

The use of digital rights management software opens access to in-depth data analytics of the content created by digital publishers. For instance, publishers producing interactive eBooks can get access to in-depth insights on multimedia engagement, visitor frequency, geolocation of visitors, content preferences, and interests. Such data is extremely valuable and allows publishers to shape their content, marketing, and business strategies with data-centricity.

Enables You to Practice Regulatory Compliance

As more digital publishers adopt digital rights management policies, they will play an important role in contributing towards a piracy-free online culture. Paywalls encourage consumers to access high-quality content legally and develop a conscientious consumer mindset.

Conclusion

Publishers can greatly benefit from adopting automated, cloud-based digital publishing solutions that come with in-built digital rights management software. This is a cost-effective solution that helps bring efficiency to publishing operations while also helping publishers protect their content from piracy. DRM-protected content plays a critical role in driving revenues and contributing to the profitability of the business.  

Today, publishers can leverage cloud-based digital publishing platforms with DRM protection, such as KITABOO, to create, publish, distribute, and market their eBooks to audiences around the world. Our cloud-based digital publishing platform is available in both a licensed version (one-time purchase) and a flexible subscription model.

Connect with us now for more info!

Related Reads:

Discover how a mobile-first training platform can help your organization.

Kitaboo is a cloud-based platform to create, deliver & track mobile-first interactive training content.

Vishal Dani

Vishal Dani

Vishal is the Senior Vice President and Head - Cloud Platforms & Technology at KITABOO. He leads the product development group and technology solutions. More posts by Vishal Dani