Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Set to Deploy FairPlay Digital Rights Management on iPad eBooks?

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,523
30,816


The Los Angeles Times reports that Apple is planning to bring back its FairPlay digital rights management (DRM) technology for use on eBooks made available through its iBookstore for the iPad.
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 phased out FairPlay a year ago, and now sells unfettered tunes.)

Next month, Apple will be dusting off those digital cuffs for books, according to sources in the publishing industry.
Click to expand...
According to the report, many but not all publishers are likely to take advantage of the FairPlay technology in order to combat piracy of their content. O'Reilly Media, publisher of technical books and an outspoken critic of DRM, is one publisher likely to eschew such an implementation. Apple has remained silent about its DRM plans for its eBook content, although it is clear that control over content usage is highly desired by most publishers.

Apple's iBooks application and iBookstore will take advantage of the open EPUB standard for electronic books, but such files can also include a wrapper such as FairPlay to restrict usage of the material. Adobe has also deployed a DRM solution for EPUB content known as Content Server, but Adobe's and Apple's solutions would not be compatible with each other, allowing Apple to pursue its own integrated eBook ecosystem much as it did with FairPlay-wrapped iTunes music and the iPod before making the shift to DRM-free music last year. FairPlay continues to be used, however, on TV show and movie content available through the iTunes Store.

Article Link: Apple Set to Deploy FairPlay Digital Rights Management on iPad eBooks?
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/02/15/apple-set-to-deploy-fairplay-digital-rights-management-on-ipad-ebooks/
Small White Car

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,966
1,463
Washington DC
What do they mean "Apple phased out FairPlay a year ago"?

Then why can't I burn iTunes movies onto DVDs? I was under the impression that Fairplay was still what Apple is using on all the movies and TV shows

So the news here isn't "Fairply is back!" but rather "Books will be like movies, not songs."

I can't say that I find that surprising.
 
T

Thataboy

macrumors regular
Dec 31, 2004
219
0
New York, NY
This doesn't surprise me at all. Fairplay is still all over non-music iTunes content.

My question is whether one will able to import external, non-DRM'd ePub content into iTunes for syncing. I would imagine so, but you never know with :apple: :)
 
peterdevries

peterdevries

macrumors 68040
Feb 22, 2008
3,146
1,135
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Allright.. Is there seriously anyone who is surprised about this?

Couldn't care less personally though. Let them do it. I don't have any other device where I would read books on anyway... Actually I don't have an iPad either.. Actually we are not going to get an iBook store here in The Netherlands, for 5 years or so...
 
T

tk421

macrumors 6502a
Dec 7, 2005
655
5
Los Angeles
Thataboy said:
This doesn't surprise me at all. Fairplay is still all over non-music iTunes content.

My question is whether one will able to import external, non-DRM'd ePub content into iTunes for syncing. I would imagine so, but you never know with :apple: :)
Click to expand...

I believe Apple has already said it will support non-DRM'd books. Which is exactly in line with the way they have operated in the past (the iPod always supported non-DRM files, such as mp3).
 
Small White Car

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,966
1,463
Washington DC
Thataboy said:
My question is whether one will able to import external, non-DRM'd ePub content into iTunes for syncing. I would imagine so, but you never know with :apple: :)
Click to expand...

Even if it doesn't I'm sure there will be apps that will.

In other words, it will be like the DRM-music days where people just bought CDs or got MP3s from...uhm...other places.

I'm sure this is the publisher's idea, in which case they're idiots for not remembering what happened to the music labels during that time period.
 
anthonymoody

anthonymoody

macrumors 68040
Aug 8, 2002
3,061
1,153
Small White Car said:
What do they mean "Apple phased out FairPlay a year ago"?

Then why can't I burn iTunes movies onto DVDs? I was under the impression that Fairplay was still what Apple is using on all the movies and TV shows

So the news here isn't "Fairply is back!" but rather "Books will be like movies, not songs."

I can't say that I find that surprising.
Click to expand...


The details will be interesting. Specifically - I wouldn't be surprised that we can only have an ibook on, say, 5 computers. That is like a song, or at least how songs were treated prior to Apple offering non-DRM'd versions.

More interesting to me is whether Apple will allow you to sync an ibook to an unlimited number of iPads (as you can songs to an unlimited number of iPods) or if it'll also limit that number.

If it's the latter, then it reveals that Apple considers an iPad more like a computer than a mobile device, at least in this context.
 
Friscohoya

Friscohoya

macrumors 6502a
Jun 16, 2009
708
0
Oaktown
Sounds fair to me as long as you can loan an ebook to a friend for a specified period. You should also be able to view on your other stuff. If you cant loan then it should be much cheaper than paper since you can already do that.
 
Peace

Peace

Cancelled
Apr 1, 2005
19,546
4,556
Space The Only Frontier
Friscohoya said:
Sounds fair to me as long as you can loan an ebook to a friend for a specified period. You should also be able to view on your other stuff. If you cant loan then it should be much cheaper than paper since you can already do that.
Click to expand...


Fairplay allows up to 5 computers. I'm guessing the book model would be the same.
 
jaw04005

jaw04005

macrumors 601
Aug 19, 2003
4,513
402
AR
About the only other option is to use Adobe’s DRM scheme for ePub books (which they would never do).

Amazon decided to make their own too. So, I’m not surprised.

What I am surprised about is Apple says the iBooks application will not be a part of the OS, but actually an app in the App Store.

Doesn’t seem very Apple.

"The iBooks app is a great new way to read and buy books. Download the free app from the App Store and buy everything from classics to best sellers from the built-in iBookstore.”

http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/
 
peterdevries

peterdevries

macrumors 68040
Feb 22, 2008
3,146
1,135
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
jaw04005 said:
What I am surprised about is Apple says the iBooks application will not be a part of the OS, but actually an app in the App Store.
Click to expand...

It makes sense for those regions where the iBook store will not be available. If the store part is a major element of the app, than those regions would have a crippled experience.

Somehow this could imply that foreign books will not import in the iBook application. I hope that's not the case....
 
Consultant

Consultant

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,314
34
Fairplay is superficial drm that is likely to be dropped in the future.
Keep note that Apple's DRM policy is more liberal than most stores.

jamesryanbell said:
DRM = failboat
Click to expand...

Ever bought a DVD?

Your cell phone components contain DRM

Your cell phone sim card contains DRM

The list go on and on.
 
A

aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
MacRumors said:
According to the report, many but not all publishers are likely to take advantage of the FairPlay technology in order to combat piracy of their content.
Click to expand...
So the option is there for the publisher to use. Or not use.

From the perspective of getting publishers into the iBook Store, that sounds like a very smart move on Apple's part.
 
inkswamp

inkswamp

macrumors 68030
Jan 26, 2003
2,953
1,278
Let the overreacting commence. :rolleyes:

I think by now as much as we all know what an annoyance DRM can be, we also know the worries about it have been vastly overblown and that as long as your usage of the material is legal, you have very little to worry about in regard to its restrictions. If it really were that bad to the consumers, the iTunes store would never have been a success.

Besides, you have options. Buy the printed version if you oppose ebook DRM. I opposed DRM on music and continued to buy CDs until the music industry got comfortable with selling non-DRM tracks. Likewise, I will continue to buy non-electronic books until the publishing industry decides to go DRM-free.
 
N

NorCalLights

macrumors 6502a
Apr 24, 2006
597
85
MacRumors said:
allowing Apple to pursue its own integrated eBook ecosystem much as it did with FairPlay-wrapped iTunes music
Click to expand...

This is the critical part. I bet we'll see DRM on the e-books for the first year or two. This will appease the publishers, but (more importantly) it will also lock in Apple's ecosystem. Once the system is established, Steve can write another one of his "open letters" and tear down the DRM wall again.
 
P

ptsube

macrumors 6502
Oct 12, 2008
277
24
Oh yeah, DRM. Everyone loves DRM. I think I remember Steve Jobs writing an article about how he thinks DRM should be on everything. Or, maybe it was the other way around. Which, that would make Steve Jobs a lying hypocrite.
 
J

joseph2166

macrumors 6502
Jan 11, 2006
258
5
miketcool said:
Meh, the publisher already does that. ESPECIALLY when it comes to text books.

I say screw the publisher and the store that sells their overpriced bullspit.
Click to expand...

Neatly sidestepping the issue of the author getting money for you enjoying their book. Every creative mass-market industry has its overbearing giants - that doesn't make it right to steal the things they sell. Not if it deprives the author/singer/songwriter etc. of their hard-earned cash.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom