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Can’t Read Your eBooks? Adobe’s New DRM Update Could be the Cause

Whenadobe-logo Adobe debuted their new Epub DRM last week some predicted that the new DRM would soon cause compatibility problems, and it looks like that prediction came true sooner than I would have liked.

There are several reports on Twitter this morning that a bug in the latest version of Adobe DE is wreaking havoc, with several users reporting that they have ebooks which could be downloaded to Adobe DE but not transferred over to an ebook reader (like the Nook, Aura, or PRS-T3):

This has also been confirmed by a couple other users (one, two). According to Micah Bowers, CEO of Bluefire Reader, the bug is only affecting a small fraction of newly downloaded ebooks and it is blocking users from transferring their purchased ebooks to their ebook readers. That’s not what one user reported on Twitter:

It’s not completely clear whether the new DRM is specifically to blame and not simply the fact that major new app releases are sometimes buggier than one would like, but Adobe has been apprised of the issue and I am sure they are working on a fix.  But until they release an update you probably should not install Adobe DE 3.0.

What we have here is an example of why you should never install new apps until after someone else has had a chance to be a guinea pig. Adobe DE 3.0 included a few minor improvements, but its chief noteworthy feature was the new and supposedly uncrackable DRM, and until I knew for sure that it wasn’t going to bite me in the ass I wasn’t going to install the update.

TBH, I wasn’t going to install the update until I knew for sure that the DRM had been cracked, thus enabling me to protect my purchases. I’m told that has not yet been accomplished, but I would bet that someone is working on it.

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Comments


oj829 January 27, 2014 um 12:37 pm

Music is my Achilles' Heel (too obsessed, spend too much on it, etc.) but I managed to stay away from the iTunes' store during those periods where mandatory new Apple software versions defeated the latest cracking tool.

If there is no similar Adobe arms race (IOW, if ADE 3.0 really works and is unbeatable, then universally adopted by all sellers), I’m out.

Ten years of this DRM sh*t. Enough, already.


JT January 27, 2014 um 1:02 pm

The only way Adobe DRM goes away is if consumers stop buying products attached to it. Why would a paying customer need to be punished in this way? They should be able to read the book they purchased with ease wherever they want.


john January 27, 2014 um 2:04 pm

"what we have here is a failure to communicate"


LCNR January 28, 2014 um 5:00 am

Probably someones.


Authors Think Publishers Make Better Books | Digital Book World January 28, 2014 um 1:41 pm

[…] Compatibility Glitch Mars Adobe’s Latest DRM Update (The Digital Reader) The latest version of Adobe DE released last week appears to include a glitch preventing some users from accessing past purchases. […]


ADE 3.0: Neuer DRM-Kopierschutz Adobe Digital Editions 3.0 bereitet Probleme | eBook-Fieber.de January 28, 2014 um 2:28 pm

[…] die Probleme nicht auf Deutschland beschränkt sind. Nate von The Digital Reader hat eine kleine Übersicht von User-Tweets zusammengestellt, in denen darüber berichtet wird, dass sich eBooks mit ADE 3.0 nicht herunterladen bzw. nicht auf […]


e-book-news.de » “Real-time update”: Adobes neues DRM mit Hintertür für die Staatssicherheit January 29, 2014 um 8:47 am

[…] auf Smartphone, Tablet oder E-Reader verändern. Das dürfte nicht nur zu Kompatibilitäts-Problemen zwischen Geräten mit altem und neuem DRM-Standard führen, sondern auch viele Nutzer verärgern, […]


e-book-news.de » Pro-Tipp von ebook.de: “Erstmal nicht auf Adobe Digital Editions 3.0 umsteigen” January 30, 2014 um 6:19 am

[…] Geräte (ein Hauptzweck von ADE) funktionierte nämlich nicht. In der Blogosphäre wurde schon Anfang der Woche vor der Installation von ADE 3.0 gewarnt, nun warnen auch Buchhändler wie ebook.de (vormals […]


Ryan February 5, 2014 um 2:57 pm

"until I new for sure"

Nate Hoffelder February 5, 2014 um 2:59 pm

Fixed it, thanks.


ADE 3.0: Neuer DRM-Kopierschutz Adobe Digital Editions 3.0 bereitet Probleme – eBook-Fieber.de May 20, 2017 um 10:20 am

[…] die Probleme nicht auf Deutschland beschränkt sind. Nate von The Digital Reader hat eine kleine Übersicht von User-Tweets zusammengestellt, in denen darüber berichtet wird, dass sich eBooks mit ADE 3.0 nicht herunterladen bzw. nicht auf […]


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