DRM and pdf

Hi!
I'm working for an Italian company and we'd like to start and sell
eBooks on our e-learning platform.
So we need a system, easy to integrate with our online store, in such a
manner that autorized users (whose who buyed our pdf e-book online)
might see the book under some conditions (for example only on one
machine).
I've read a lot about third party DRM and finally I've found FileOpen
system; do you have any experience with DRM or FileOpen system? I'm not
sure if it's what we really need...

Could you suggest me something about other products?

Thank you very much,
Davide.

Re: DRM and pdf

Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)

Re: DRM and pdf

In article <1157473720.006715.77000@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com>,
Davide wrote:
>I'm working for an Italian company and we'd like to start and sell
>eBooks on our e-learning platform.
>So we need a system, easy to integrate with our online store, in such a
>manner that autorized users (whose who buyed our pdf e-book online)
>might see the book under some conditions (for example only on one
>machine).

There is no known way to do DRM without unfairly restricting the
normal usage of the consumer.

For example, if I upgrade the CPU in my computer, then my
eBooks should not stop working. If my hard-disc fails and I replace
it with another one, my eBooks should not stop working. If I have
downloaded an eBook to my desktop system, I should be able to
somehow move it to my laptop so that I can take it with me on a trip
(or take it home to study.)

In other words, if you tie the rights to the hardware, then you
block very normal behaviour of people with respect to hardware.

If you require an internet connection to verify the access rights
then people cannot use the eBook when they cannot get a connection.

If you use a fixed password system, then people can start sending around
the passwords.

You could perhaps use a -different- password for every copy sold,
but then you still run into problems with people posting the copy
and the password that goes with it.

Re: DRM and pdf

on 9/5/2006 9:42 AM Sebastian Gottschalk said the following:
> Davide wrote:
>
>> I'm working for an Italian company and we'd like to start and sell
>> eBooks on our e-learning platform.
>> So we need a system, easy to integrate with our online store, in such a
>> manner that autorized users (whose who buyed our pdf e-book online)
>> might see the book under some conditions (for example only on one
>> machine).
>
> No, you don't. Anyway, this doesn't make an impossible system become
> possible.
>
>> I've read a lot about third party DRM and finally I've found FileOpen
>> system; do you have any experience with DRM or FileOpen system? I'm not
>> sure if it's what we really need...
>
> Not just that DRM system are trivially broken by design, the trials of
> implementations are trivially broken as well. Especially Adobe's DRM system
> on pseudo PDF formats is so broken that a well-known company is selling a
> software to do this in a purely userfriendly way.
>
>> Could you suggest me something about other products?
>
> Could we suggest thinking about a less stupid idea?

No argument with anything you said, except the last sentence. Do you
think he'll be more likely to take your comments to heart if you are
insulting?

Re: DRM and pdf

>>> So we need a system, easy to integrate with our online store, in such a
>>> manner that autorized users (whose who buyed our pdf e-book online)
>>> might see the book under some conditions (for example only on one
>>> machine).


I have experience as a customer with Syngress (IT specialist editorial)
electronic books,
and I am quite happy with their implementation, they use a .exe file that
installs the e-book
on the hard disk, then on opening the installed e-book (pdf format) it
asks for a fixed password
which is always the same in all the books I have.

From a user point of view it is very friendly, I don't need internet
connexion, I can keep a back
up copy and it is fairly easy to use.

I could put the book on a website with the password as it is always the
same, but because
it is a .exe file that needs to install in the computer my guess is that
it will put off many
people who are scared of viruses, and the e-book .pdf pages can't be
copied.

The only part that I don't like is that .exe only works for Windows.

--
Email:sberafvp@zy1.arg
Decrypt with Caesar ROT13

Re: DRM and pdf

Melic wrote:

>>>> So we need a system, easy to integrate with our online store, in such a
>>>> manner that autorized users (whose who buyed our pdf e-book online)
>>>> might see the book under some conditions (for example only on one
>>>> machine).
>
>
> I have experience as a customer with Syngress (IT specialist editorial)
> electronic books,
> and I am quite happy with their implementation, they use a .exe file that
> installs the e-book
> on the hard disk, then on opening the installed e-book (pdf format) it
> asks for a fixed password
> which is always the same in all the books I have.
>
> From a user point of view it is very friendly, I don't need internet
> connexion, I can keep a back
> up copy and it is fairly easy to use.
>
> I could put the book on a website with the password as it is always the
> same, but because
> it is a .exe file that needs to install in the computer my guess is that
> it will put off many
> people who are scared of viruses, and the e-book .pdf pages can't be
> copied.
>
> The only part that I don't like is that .exe only works for Windows.
>


There are other problems. Many companies frown upon adding more programs
since now you have another potential attack vector...

Im