| Do you believe that if you purchase an audiobook | | | | download online, be sure to check if it has DRM |
| you should be able to listen to that book in the digital | | | | protection. In some cases, you will only be able to |
| music player in your car, in another digital music player | | | | find a DRM version of the audiobook. |
| on your boat, and in yet another digital music player | | | | Towards DRM-free audio books |
| at your home? When a new music player or format | | | | There is a movement to drop DRM from music and |
| comes along, should you be able to convert your | | | | other audio that began in earnest when Apple began |
| existing books on audio collection to the new format | | | | providing DRM-free music in the iTunes store. |
| without having to buy the books online again? Who | | | | Audiobooks in the iTunes store are still under DRM |
| wouldn't want these abilities? But, because of digital | | | | protection, however. Books on CD sold by Amazon |
| rights management, you may find yourself stymied if | | | | generally are DRM-free. Random House, the world's |
| you try to play an audio book on a device for which | | | | largest book publisher, offers its titles DRM-free. Most |
| it wasn't intended. | | | | public domain books that are recorded into |
| Digital Rights Management, or DRM, is technology | | | | audiobooks are DRM-free. |
| that grants or prevents the use of digital content, | | | | Advantages of DRM? |
| such as music, movies or books, on various devices | | | | Are there any advantages of DRM protected |
| such as a computer or a media player. It can | | | | audiobooks. For the copyright holders, yes, since it |
| sometimes be used as a synonym for copy | | | | protects their intellectual property. But for |
| protection, but broadly DRM is used to limit access to | | | | consumers, the answer is no, not really. DRM |
| the digital content, whereas copy protection is used | | | | protected audiobooks aren't even necessarily |
| to prevent copying. FairPlay, used by Apple on audio | | | | recorded with a better sampling rate. You will find |
| files, is a well know DRM technology. Windows Media | | | | that the catalog of DRM protected audiobooks is |
| DRM is another example of DRM technology. | | | | much larger than that of DRM-free audiobooks, so if |
| DRM in audiobooks today | | | | you really want a particular title, it may only be in a |
| DRM technologies are currently in use by audiobook | | | | DRM protected format. But choose the DRM-free |
| publishers, including the largest publisher/retailer in the | | | | version if at all possible. |
| audiobook market. When buying an audiobook for | | | | |