How can I protect my publications?

JGomez

JGomez

Registered
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Hi, I’m a writer with several years in this sector, and always I have had a great need to know if my books are being copied or distributed under the name of another person. Looking on internet, I've found several tools that allow to protect my pdf files, and I want to know your opinion about these tools/webs.

iSafe - Encryption of pdf files.

doxpy - Website that allows you protect pdf files on printed and digital formats.

restrictpdf - Program that protects the pdfs of possible copies, editions or prints.

http://www.protectedpdf.com/ protectedpdf - “Program that allows you protect your pdfs” but this isn’t very well explained.


This is a topic that worries me a lot,
Thank you very much in advance for your opinions.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anne Lyle

Anne Lyle

Fantastic historian
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 23, 2007
Messages
3,469
Reaction score
399
Location
Cambridge, UK. Or 1590s London. Some days it's har
Website
www.annelyle.com
Personally I don't agree with DRM (digital rights management) - it inconveniences ordinary readers who want to transfer your file into other programs for perfectly legitimate reasons (e.g. they bought a new ereader that doesn't support the old format), whilst being little barrier to the people who want to pirate your book for nefarious purposes. Encryption methods get cracked almost as soon as they are created.

Truth is, preventing piracy through DRM is practically impossible. Your energies are better used checking for pirated copies and asking any legitimate sites to remove the content, or better still, writing more books!
 
Max Vaehling

Max Vaehling

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
1,133
Reaction score
75
Location
Bremen, Germany
Website
www.dreadfulgate.de
Forget all of those tools. The people you're afraid have enough criminal energy to rip your stuff won't be stopped by a tool that demands slightly more criminal energy. The best way to protect your book against plagiarism is to publish it and point to it whenever you find a rip. Helps if you make it famous, too.
 

Deleted member 42

There's no point; any of those, and any new ways of using DRM, will be cracked within a matter of hours.

Control your identity; you can't control your content. You never could.
 

Little Ming

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 5, 2011
Messages
3,001
Reaction score
753
Anne Lyle said:
Personally I don't agree with DRM (digital rights management) - it inconveniences ordinary readers who want to transfer your file into other programs for perfectly legitimate reasons (e.g. they bought a new ereader that doesn't support the old format), whilst being little barrier to the people who want to pirate your book for nefarious purposes. Encryption methods get cracked almost as soon as they are created.

Truth is, preventing piracy through DRM is practically impossible. Your energies are better used checking for pirated copies and asking any legitimate sites to remove the content, or better still, writing more books!
Click to expand...

Just to emphasis this point, as a consumer I will never buy anything with DRM, whether it be ebooks or music or movies or TV episodes. As soon as I see DRM of any sort I will find a different format or a different place to buy it. It's useless at stopping piracy as others have already mentioned, any new DRM will get cracked in a few hours (or less) and all you're essentially doing is making it harder for the people who actually paid for the file.

:Soapbox:
 

Little Ming

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 5, 2011
Messages
3,001
Reaction score
753
Anne Lyle said:
FWIW, my publishers agree. In addition to the commercially necessary Kindle and iBooks options, they sell DRM-free, region-free ePubs via their website. One of the many reasons I'm proud to be published by them :)
Click to expand...

Any chance to plug your books, huh? :tongue ;)
 
Anne Lyle

Anne Lyle

Fantastic historian
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 23, 2007
Messages
3,469
Reaction score
399
Location
Cambridge, UK. Or 1590s London. Some days it's har
Website
www.annelyle.com
Little Ming said:
Any chance to plug your books, huh? :tongue ;)
Click to expand...

You know me too well! :) Not that my book is out yet!

Seriously, though - I think publishers would do well to consider whether their ebook strategy is actually helping or hindering sales. The landscape is changing whether we like it or not - it's sink or swim time!
 

Deleted member 42

DRM is indeed eviilllll.

1. It doesn't stop people from reading your books illegally, or circulating.

2. DRM isn't effective; it's crackable/breakable, and often, the removal of DRM inflicts damage on the integrity of the text and formatting.

3. DRM hurts the people who buy your books, only to find, as with Adobe and Embiid, and a number of other publishers and producers, that the book ceases to function because of a change in the OS or the DRM.

4. DRM often makes it impossible for people who rely on adaptive or assistive technology to read your book; disenfranchising a sizable part of the ebook buying public.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.