The New ePub DRM

[phenomshel]

I'm lost, dazed, and confused here. Who is doing what with which format??? I *thought* I had it figured out til I started reading this thread, and now I'm hopelessly mired.
As I understand it, BN is using a "new" form of DRM for ePubs, (which is really an "old" form of DRM), which even Adobe Digital Editions currently does not support, but WILL support when Adobe releases the new SDK. Is that correct?
The new SDK is due in 2009 (although if that's gonna happen, Jim, someone better get on the stick...), and then I'm assuming Adobe Digital Editions will get updated to support the new (old) DRM that BN is intent on using. Until then, any ePub bought at BN will ONLY work on either a nook or on the BN reading software. However, THEN, all the device manufacturers that now support the CURRENT flavor of Adept DRM for ePubs will have to decide whether to update their systems with the new SDK to support the new (old) form of DRM - effectively making a hell of a mess.

Am I getting ANY of this right?

[Jim Lester]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

I'm lost, dazed, and confused here. Who is doing what with which format??? I *thought* I had it figured out til I started reading this thread, and now I'm hopelessly mired.

You have the essential details correct, my detailed responses are below

As I understand it, BN is using a "new" form of DRM for ePubs, (which is really an "old" form of DRM)

For B&N we added a new flavor of DRM for ePubs, "Password", that was roughly based and behaves similar to the eReader DRM (which is why B&N wanted it) into the Adobe stack.

B&N is serving these files up now, and we gave them an patched RMSDK 9.0 which they included on the Nook.

which even Adobe Digital Editions currently does not support, but WILL support when Adobe releases the new SDK. Is that correct?

Release RMSDK, then sometime much later - next year update Adobe Digital Editions (there's a lot more going into this release than the RMSDK update).

The new SDK is due in 2009 (although if that's gonna happen, Jim, someone better get on the stick...)

I'm not worried about the RMSDK release date.

and then I'm assuming Adobe Digital Editions will get updated to support the new (old) DRM that BN is intent on using.

Yes see above (same team doing the work) so release RMSDK, then update Adobe Digital Editions.

Until then, any ePub bought at BN will ONLY work on either a nook or on the BN reading software. However, THEN, all the device manufacturers that now support the CURRENT flavor of Adept DRM for ePubs will have to decide whether to update the SDK to support the new (old) form of DRM - effectively making a hell of a mess.

Yes this is a short term mess that we have made, but hope to have completely cleaned up by the end of the year 2010. The end result is that after we get this cleaned up is that every major eBook retailer (including Borders now, too ) that is using DRM, except Amazon, will be interoperable with (almost) all the devices, except the Kindle.

[jusmee]

Originally Posted by Jim Lester

The end result is that after we get this cleaned up is that every major eBook retailer (including Borders now, too ) that is using DRM, except Amazon, will be interoperable with (almost) all the devices, except the Kindle.

That is applaudable.

Although, I presume, when you say DRM, you only mean ePub/Adobe with DRM. Other formats such as mobi with DRM will still cause problems for us.

[phenomshel]

Yes this is a short term mess that we have made, but hope to have completely cleaned up by the end of the year 2010. The end result is that after we get this cleaned up is that every major eBook retailer (including Borders now, too ) that is using DRM, except Amazon, will be interoperable with (almost) all the devices, except the Kindle

.

Now THAT is good news. What would be better news is if Amazon got forced into going ePub too, but I see that happening about the time Hell freezes over.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by 6charlong

Thanks to you both.

I'll wait to buy anything from Barnes and Noble until I see (on this forum?) that their books will be readable on my Pocket Pro.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Here is what is happening that we know.

B&N and Adobe has announced a deal where Adboe will add the ability to handle social DRM (the drm currently used by eReader) in the next version of their server. This new version is expected to release in January. At nearly the same time Adobe has to release an API with their mobile devices kit for all their customers (the portable eBook Reader makers). Then each of the eBook Reader manufacturers, in this case Jinke, will have to release a new verison of the firmware. Once this is done then B&N ePUB files with social DRM will work on Jinke devices.

Note that this has nothing to do with the eReader database format. This thread has already confused the two issues. Whether eReader database format API will be released to Jinke is something that only B&N lawyers and the lawyers at Astak can hammer out.

I have no doubt that Social DRM on ePUB and for that matter PDF will be available from Jinke within a month of Adobe making it available. Once that happens then B&N books will work on Jinke devices and any other publisher that chooses to support Social DRM will also be able to use it, however they may choose not to just as easily. Adobe's server that ADE uses will work with either system.

Dale

[John F]

Originally Posted by Jim Lester

...

The end result is that after we get this cleaned up is that every major eBook retailer (including Borders now, too ) that is using DRM, except Amazon, will be interoperable with (almost) all the devices, except the Kindle.

I hope your right. But I wonder about the Sony models (500, 505, 700, 300, 600, Daily Reader). Has Sony commited to this?

[MaggieScratch]

Will books we've already purchased with the current flavor of Adobe DRM be backwards compatible with the new form of Adobe DRM?

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by MaggieScratch

Will books we've already purchased with the current flavor of Adobe DRM be backwards compatible with the new form of Adobe DRM?

Yes. The password-based DRM is an alternative approach that does not change the current AdobeID DRM at all. The Nook (the only device to support both today), can read ePubs with both types of DRM.

[MaggieScratch]

Cool. Can't wait for everything to be finalized. I have a bunch of ebooks sitting in my B&N shopping cart.

And then there were two... (formats, that is)

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by MaggieScratch

Will books we've already purchased with the current flavor of Adobe DRM be backwards compatible with the new form of Adobe DRM?

The new release of Adobe DRM will support both models but a machine restricted DRM ebook will not suddenly become a social DRM ebook. Which DRM you get will be determined by the publisher, moving forward. If the publisher adopts the social DRM it may be possible to redownload ebooks you own.

Dale

[Jim Lester]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Here is what is happening that we know.
B&N and Adobe has announced a deal where Adboe will add the ability to handle social DRM (the drm currently used by eReader) in the next version of their server. This new version is expected to release in January. At nearly the same time Adobe has to release an API with their mobile devices kit for all their customers (the portable eBook Reader makers).

Dale,
Some corrections. We have not announced a ship date (or an exact version number) for the version of Content Server that will include the new password based DRM scheme, other than to vaugely say sometime in 2010. It will not be in January.

Also we released Reader Mobile SDK 9.1, which includes support for the password based DRM scheme, on Dec. 15 2009.

--
Jim Lester
Adobe Systems

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Jim Lester

Dale,
Some corrections. We have not announced a ship date (or an exact version number) for the version of Content Server that will include the new password based DRM scheme, other than to vaugely say sometime in 2010. It will not be in January.

Also we released Reader Mobile SDK 9.1, which includes support for the password based DRM scheme, on Dec. 15 2009.

--
Jim Lester
Adobe Systems

Thanks for the update. I appreciate the facts. I kind of knew the January date was optimistic.

Dale

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Jim Lester

Dale,

Also we released Reader Mobile SDK 9.1, which includes support for the password based DRM scheme, on Dec. 15 2009.

--
Jim Lester
Adobe Systems

Question, Now that Reader Mobile SDK 9.1 is released does that mean Jinke could update to that version and the EZ Reader user could buy DRM books from Barnes and Noble immediately?

Dale

[Jim Lester]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Question, Now that Reader Mobile SDK 9.1 is released does that mean Jinke could update to that version and the EZ Reader user could buy DRM books from Barnes and Noble immediately?

Dale

Any of our RMSDK customers may release firmware or devices based upon RMSDK 9.1 after they pass certification.

However, while we have been doing pre-releases we did a fairly major restructure/refactoring of the APIs so 9.1 isn't a "slap it in" replacement for 9.0 (which is a problem we are going to have with getting the next major version of ADE out the door).

--
Jim Lester
Adobe Systems