I'm interested in using iBooks Author to create an in-house training manual that I don't want to make publicly available and I don't want the receipients to be able to give a copy of the book to a friend. Is that possible?
iPad, iOS 5.1, AT&T Cellular Data Plan
At that point, it is a file they can find in iTunes and share as they like, so no.
Hi,
follow these steps...
create the ibook and just select the Preview Button. With this option the book is "published" for preview in your own ipad ibooks but not in itunes.
create the ibook and just select the Preview Button. With this option the book is "published" for preview in your own ipad ibooks but not in itunes.
Any user with either a preview (PDF), or .ibooks file that didn't come from the store, can locate that file in iTunes on their computer where they can redistribute in a totally uncontrolled manner, so your suggestion won't help.
Do you have the facility to call in each persons iPad? If so and it is a manageable number, could customise each book with the name of the recipient. and by connecting to your computer and the persons iPad, use preview to put the manual on the iPad. Even this will not prevent a determined effort to copy the book file...but unless others better than me know a way to edit the file...the name identifies the pirate! The other factor is data and copyright protection, which is as enforceable as your wallet will cater for!
Adobe and all the major software outfits have the same problem...and all they can do is make it more difficult but few totally prevent piracy.
My suggestion may not be perfect, but it works for me on motorsport DVD sales...so far none have shown up on eBay!
Thanks for all the help, i guess this facility isn't properly developed in iBooks yet
It's not an iBooks issue - it is a file issue. You're talking about a file (.ibooks) you can't control once it leaves your computer. There are many applications that output unsecure files.
You could output a PDF via iBA and then lock it with a password given the proper utility, but you would lose all the iBA functionality and security would be based more on trust that the password was not being circulated along with that file. Same as if you zipped the .ibooks file and locked it with a password.
You want to control distribution, not the file contents. That approach goes beyond iBA, Pages, Keynote , Preview, Safari, etc. It's up to you at that point, not the application used to generate the file. Put the .ibooks file on your server, behind a password/logon and ask your trainees to not distribute.
You can put a password on an .iba file, but that file won't work on iOS/iPad.
As always, feel free to use the 'Provide iBooks Author Feedback' menu item for features you'd like added in the future, etc.
Is there a good way to limit distribution?
