E-book Password Protection

[dj_blueshift]

I'm about to start work on an e-book store.

I have concerns about illegal distribution.

 

My needs:

1. Once users have paid, they can download the e-book file(s).

2. They will receive a password to open the e-book in an email.

3. On a set time cycle, the e-book(s)' password will change, and a new email will be sent to the customer informing them of the new password for each book.

 

Questions:

1. Is this possible to integrate into oscommerce? If so, how?

2. What e-book creating programs might support this?

 

Thanks for any help.

[dynamoeffects]

The cycling password thing sounds like a nightmare. You're just going to annoy your customers if they have to check their email for a new password everytime they want to read their book. Having an email sent to them afterwards with the password wouldn't be that hard.

 

I would suggest you use the PDF format, and when they purchase the book, a script enbeds their customer number into it. If you find their book being traded online somewhere, you'll know who released it. Also, with the PDF format, you can dynamically change the password for each customer.

 

There is no way you'll be able to keep your books from being given to friends and family. You're asking for an solution that the record, movie, and software industries have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to solve, yet have no answers of their own. Think more about offering your customers a great service that they can't find elsewhere and the small amount of books being traded on the side won't matter.

[Mediajuggle]

1. I agree. You'll needlessly limit the amount of sales with a system like that. If I've purchased 100 books from there's no way in hell that every few months or so that I'll want to keep entering passwords to be able to read or reread. That's basically a subscription service as it seems that I'll never really own the books.

 

2. As your customer base expands to the tens of thousands and up, that's system is going to cause more problems than it will solve.

 

3. If someone wants to pirate something, there's no way to stop them no matter what security, DRM or whatever they have.

 

4. You should definitely scrap that idea and focus on providing your customers with something that is hard to get elsewhere, and provide them with great customer service. I sell mp3's so I know about your worries, but eMusic is the #2 download store after itunes, beating out yahoo, napster, real networks, msn music store, etc; and they sell open ended mp3's but if you check their forums they have some of the most loyal customers. That's where your business will lie.

[dj_blueshift]

Thanks for the tips!

I see your point. I'm gonna try out DRM for one-time passwording.

What do you think of this service?

 

http://www.esellerate.net

[cannuck1964]

I have seen ebooks that will only work once installed on one computer. Once the eBook has been registered online, it then can not be transferred (at least not easily) to another computer. This maybe a solution to use....

 

cheers

Peter M.

[dj_blueshift]

I have seen ebooks that will only work once installed on one computer. Once the eBook has been registered online, it then can not be transferred (at least not easily) to another computer. This maybe a solution to use....

 

cheers

Peter M.

 

that would be great! any more info?

[cannuck1964]

Feel free to PM me, I will send you a link.

 

cheers,

Peter M.