DRM Policy
What is DRM?
Most of us who pay for downloading any kind of electronic files know what DRM (Digital Rights Management) is. We’ve all run into this anti-theft encryption in one form or another by now, whether on music, games, downloadable movies, and yes, ebooks.
The intention behind it is reasonable: to prevent people from illegally sharing files. The thought is that publishers and providers of digital content own the copyright, and therefore should be able to control the distribution of the file.
However, in my experience, DRM only punishes the honest customer, the one who buys a book for her Kindle, then when she replaces her device with an iPad the next year, suddenly finds she can’t read any of the ebooks she purchased. The dishonest person, the pirate, can get around DRM very easily. Want to know how I know? I tried it. I found a DRM-enabled book on my Kindle, googled how to remove the encryption, and had a DRM free version within 15 minutes, and that included the time it took to download and install the necessary program.
(For the authors out there who don’t agree, consider this: I’m not the only one who thinks DRM doesn’t stop piracy anyway. Tor Books said that even a year after it ditched DRM on its books, it sees no discernible increase in piracy.)
All of my books are DRM-free where possible. (Some stores, like Kobo, put DRM on all their books, whether the author/publisher want it or not.) I want you to be able to read my books how and where you want. I know you aren’t a thief, and I will never treat you like one by restricting the device on which you can enjoy my work.
My Pledge
If you buy one of my ebooks from a store that uses DRM, and you can’t download or read the book on your chosen device—whether it’s the reader you originally bought it for or another—I want to help. Email me, preferably with some evidence of your purchase, and I will do my best to provide you with a copy that works for you. If you want to convert the file to work on a different device, feel free. I trust you to honor the copyright and not share the file illegally or upload it to an illegal file-sharing website.
Special thanks to KC May for her permission to use and adapt her DRM policy.
© 2016-2019 India Drummond, Trindlemoss LLC. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to India Drummond with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.