Friday, February 3, 2012

Apple tweaks the fine print behind its iBooks Author software

Following controversy, Apple has made changes to the end user license agreement that binds its iBooks Author software. 


The legal agreement sparked ire following the software's introduction last month for its stipulation that books which were created with the free software be sold only through Apple's iBookstore if authors intended to charge for them. 

(Credit: Apple)
In the new version of the software that went out to users this afternoon, the company has modified the original language to state that the only works that are subject to that rule are files in the .ibooks format.

"This restriction does not apply to the content of such works when distributed in a form that does not include files in the .ibooks format," the EULA now states. 

"We updated the iBooks author end user license agreement to clarify the terms for authors regarding content ownership and distribution," an Apple spokesman said in a statement. 

So what types of files can users sell outside of Apple's stores if they've made in the software? That leaves PDF and text, neither of which work with some of the extra features like 3D objects, widgets, quizzes and flash cards.

Apple introduced its iBooks Author software at a private event last month alongside iBooks 2. The free software lets authors design digital versions of textbooks and other interactive titles for the iPad. It was launched in conjunction with the company's push to get textbook authors to create and distribute digital editions. 

http://news.cnet.com

Related Posts

No comments:

Post a Comment

You can comment here...