securing digital ebooks from online piracy

[newb_bee]

Hi, I'd like to know the best method(s) of ... protecting the download
link ... it's location ...not having a new window pop up with the URL
in it...

I am aware there is no foolproof way (-:

What are my _best_ options for getting paid for my products before the
purchaser gets sent to the page? I am selling downloadable ebooks
(yes, our own, not somebody else's). I use PaySystems if that matters
so I have options there, but am most concerned with the file folder
full of product.

anything I'm missing?

thanks very much.
newb_bee

[lallous]

Re: securing digital ebooks from online piracy

Hello,

Afaik, you can use serverside scripting such as PHP, as:

<?
// do validation here
.....
// output the header here using Header()
.....

// output the ebook data here (and download will be started if you outputted
correct header previously)
readfile('ebook 1.pdf');
?>

Regards,
Elias

[Marco Dieckhoff]

Re: securing digital ebooks from online piracy

In article <710f84c3.03080 51814.3663492d@ posting.google. com>, newb_bee wrote:[color=blue]
> Hi, I'd like to know the best method(s) of ... protecting the download
> link ... it's location ...not having a new window pop up with the URL
> in it...
>
> I am aware there is no foolproof way (-:
>
> What are my _best_ options for getting paid for my products before the
> purchaser gets sent to the page? I am selling downloadable ebooks
> (yes, our own, not somebody else's). I use PaySystems if that matters
> so I have options there, but am most concerned with the file folder
> full of product.[/color]

The best way is not to put the ebooks online directly.

Send them (via script) by email to your customer.

--
Marco Dieckhoff
icq# 22243433
GPG Key 0x1A6C95BA -- http://www.frankonia-brunonia.de/keys

[Sandra Fieger]

Re: securing digital ebooks from online piracy


Thanks Marco,
That's certainly an option, but since the books are digitally secured,
they end up an .exe file, as a self extracting application, which most
people do not want to receive via email because of virus threats (not
that these have them). They are also 650 kb to 2M.

Can I have send a link to a hidden location that "expires" after a
period of time? Or set up a script that assigns a password automatically
on payment to login to a private area?



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[newb_bee]

Re: securing digital ebooks from online piracy

"lallous" <lallous@lgwm.o rg> wrote in message news:<bgq57q$qh qr2$1@ID-161723.news.uni-berlin.de>...
you can use serverside scripting such as PHP, as:[color=blue]
>
> <?
> // do validation here
> ....
> // output the header here using Header()
> ....
>
> // output the ebook data here (and download will be started if you outputted
> correct header previously)
> readfile('ebook 1.pdf');
> ?>
>
> Regards,
> Elias[/color]



Elias,
thanks, looks good ... except I really AM a newbie, would you be
willing to flesh this out some for me? Or point me to where I can find
out how to put in all the variables?
Cheers,
Sandra

[matty]

Re: securing digital ebooks from online piracy

newb_bee wrote:

<snip>
[color=blue]
>
>
> Elias,
> thanks, looks good ... except I really AM a newbie, would you be
> willing to flesh this out some for me? Or point me to where I can find
> out how to put in all the variables?
> Cheers,
> Sandra[/color]

I don't mean to sound nasty, but since you're doing this as a part of a
business, do you expect people to write it for free for you?

[gregm@cs.uwa.edu.au]

Re: securing digital ebooks from online piracy

In comp.lang.misc newb_bee <sandra@delfin. org> wrote:
: <I am selling downloadable ebooks>
: What are my _best_ options for getting paid for my products before the
: purchaser gets sent to the page?

Don't write it until they've paid you.

-Greg

[Laurent Bugnion, GalaSoft]

Re: securing digital ebooks from online piracy

Hi,

Markus Ernst wrote:[color=blue][color=green]
>>That's certainly an option, but since the books are digitally secured,
>>they end up an .exe file, as a self extracting application, which most
>>people do not want to receive via email because of virus threats (not
>>that these have them). They are also 650 kb to 2M.[/color]
>
>
> Don't you have the same problem with a downloadable file?[/color]

I can see why the user could prefer to receive the file as a
downloadable EXE rather than as attachment of an email. I am not so much
afraid of virus, having a good protection, but the size of the
attachment is rather a problem to me. I prefer to download such things
from the web rather than with my emails.
[color=blue][color=green]
>>Can I have send a link to a hidden location that "expires" after a
>>period of time? Or set up a script that assigns a password automatically
>>on payment to login to a private area?[/color]
>
>
> With serverside scripting as PHP you could maybe assign the transaction a
> random session value, open the file and save it as a copy with the random
> value as filename, and then provide the link to that file for download. Make
> sure you delete it afterwards. I'm sure it would be a nice challenge to
> develop this application.[/color]

I don't know PHP, but it wouldn't be a big challenge in ASP.

Laurent
--
Laurent Bugnion, GalaSoft
Webdesign, Java, JavaScript: http://www.galasoft-LB.ch
Private/Malaysia: http://mypage.bluewin.ch/lbugnion
Support children in Calcutta: http://www.calcutta-espoir.ch

[Mark Hewitt]

Re: securing digital ebooks from online piracy


"lallous" <lallous@lgwm.o rg> wrote in message
news:bgq57q$qhq r2$1@ID-161723.news.uni-berlin.de...[color=blue]
> Hello,
>
> Afaik, you can use serverside scripting such as PHP, as:
>
> <?
> // do validation here
> ....
> // output the header here using Header()
> ....
>[/color]

Use the correct content-type here in the header, or the browser will get
confused.
Look at "mime_content_t ype" for detecting mime types on random files, or if
you have a set file format you know in advance...

Quoting PHP 4.3.0 manual: ( HTTP Functions / header ):

<?php
// We'll be outputting a PDF
header("Content-type: application/pdf");

// It will be called downloaded.pdf
header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=downlo aded.pdf");

// The PDF source is in original.pdf
readfile('origi nal.pdf');
?>

for example for pdf (as in example below)

Remember, readfile() reads a file and prints to the output buffer (i.e. your
browser)

[color=blue]
> // output the ebook data here (and download will be started if you[/color]
outputted[color=blue]
> correct header previously)
> readfile('ebook 1.pdf');[/color]

If possible, try to store the pdf outside your servers document root, this
will prevent people trying to guess the url and dl directly

Thanks,
Mark
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[color=blue]
> ?>
>
> Regards,
> Elias
>
>[/color]