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Tech Report: Some E-Book Publishers Removing Anti-Piracy Tool

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Tor Books, one of the largest science-fiction and fantasy book publishers in the country, has announced plans to abolish Digital Rights Management software on its entire collection of e-books in early July.

DRM software aims to prevent the practice of piracy and has been used in several online mediums for years, including music, film, video games and e-books.

KCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid:

KCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid said the move is not surprising as Apple and other music sellers have already dropped it because they found that it does little to prevent piracy and is actually an annoyance for legitimate customers.

For example, many customers may want to buy an e-book but read it on a different device. But the DRM software got in the way.

Magid said that it is possible that this will lead to other leading e-book publishers to drop Digital Rights Management software from their stores.

This comes as Tor Books parent company, Macmillan USA, is preparing to square off against the U.S. Department of Justice following accusations of e-book price fixing.

You can hear Larry Magid's Tech Report Monday through Friday at 3:50pm on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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