IndyPublish Selects ContentGuard for Digital Rights Management

Posted on January 26, 2001

ContentGuard, Inc., a provider of digital rights management (DRM) solutions, and IndyPublish, an epublisher, announced that IndyPublish has selected ContentGuard as its sole provider of DRM technology and services. IndyPublish, which makes authors' books available to consumers in ebook or paper format, will manage elements of its digital distribution in-house, with ContentGuard providing consulting, integration, access rights clearing and a customized DRM hardware and software package.

IndyPublish.com, founded in 1993 as a multi-media software company, launched its online publishing service in November 2000. IndyPublish faces competition from other epublishers who have already been in the marketplace for a year or more. IndyPublish's books are available through both online and traditional booksellers.

``Today we publish eBooks in HTML and LIT formats but will need to expand beyond these as the needs of our authors and eBook consumers change,'' comments Loc Vo, CEO of IndyPublish. ``We selected ContentGuard as it offered ultimate flexibility. We've been able to outsource those elements of the DRM process we cannot handle internally and, moving forward, can work with ContentGuard to adapt our system as ebook technology evolves, protecting our investment long-term.''

``The ebook business isn't about replacing the classics on your bookshelf with a digital file -- it's about using technology to create new revenue streams for publishers and give consumers new options, including access to books that would have limited or no existence in the physical world,'' explains Michael Miron, ContentGuard CEO. ``By working with us to develop a solution specific to its business needs, IndyPublish has been able to explore new business models at minimum risk, helping expand the scope of the evolving ebook market.''