Adobe Join Forces With Google Over eBook DRM
Adobe Systems Incorporated have just announced today that Google has licensed Adobe® Content Server 4 software as its ebook content protection solution for Google eBooks. With the addition of Google, more than 200 publishers and distributors worldwide have now deployed Adobe Content Server, making it the most pervasive Digital Rights Management (DRM) solution for ebooks and other digital publications.
As a true cross-platform solution, Adobe Content Server enables consumers to purchase or lend ebooks through thousands of points-of-purchase without being tied to one store. With support of the Adobe® Reader® Mobile software development kit (SDK) on more than 85 devices and applications, consumers can download and read protected ebooks from Google eBooks in both PDF and EPUB format. Supported devices include a broad variety of platforms: smartphones, tablets and desktops, as well as dedicated reading devices like the Sony Reader or the Barnes & Noble nook. With more than 13 million downloads of Adobe Digital Editions, a free software application for acquiring, managing and reading ebooks, users can transfer their digital content to their netbooks and desktops, and by taking advantage of a growing number of mobile applications, users can also consume ebooks from Google eBooks on tablets like the iPad. For a complete list, visit Adobe Digital Editions Supported Devices.
“We are excited about Google joining the largest ecosystem of content distributors that believe in giving consumers the freedom to read ebooks across platforms and device types,” said Dave Burkett, vice president and general manager, Creative Solutions Business, Adobe. “Adobe is helping publishers navigate a rapidly changing media landscape, where new devices are opening up new business opportunities to distribute unique content.”
Mobile
Adobe Content Server is part of Adobe’s end-to-end Digital Publishing Solution for ebooks with Adobe InDesign® CS5, Adobe Digital Editions and Adobe Reader Mobile SDK. The solution allows users to download and read ebooks from Google eBooks without being locked into a proprietary file format or device. More than 200 publishers and distributors worldwide are using the solution today to securely deliver their copyrighted content to end-users through thousands of points-of-purchase across the globe, including many public libraries. This reduces the risk of unauthorised distribution and gives content owners the flexibility to develop their own monetisation models around digital content delivery. Licensees of Adobe Content Server include Barnes & Noble, Google, Random House, Sony, WW Norton, OverDrive, Ingram Digital, Kobo, British Library, and many more
With the Reader Mobile SDK, Adobe enables companies to offer smartphones and reading devices that can easily download, manage, and display ebooks based on PDF and the open EPUB file format. Adobe’s ebook initiatives come at a time when Adobe is pushing the boundaries of delivering new digital publication experiences with leading publishers such as Condé Nast and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. With these new types of interactive, branded experiences, publishers can create rich content on tablets, smartphones and other devices that attracts high-value subscribers and advertisers.
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
