Reading the Fine Print on Apple’s Book-Making Software

Apple’s free book-creation tool, iBooks Author, seemed too good to be true: it gives anyone the ability to easily lay out an interactive book with no programming required, slap it up for sale in Apple’s iBooks Store and ideally make a quick buck. But hours after Apple released the software, people noticed that they were not allowed to sell these books outside Apple’s store. That’s according to iBooks Author’s fine print, better known in the software industry as the end-user license agreement.

It reads:
“If you charge a fee for any book or other work you generate using this software (a “Work”), you may only sell or distribute such Work through Apple (e.g., through the iBookstore) and such distribution will be subject to a separate agreement with Apple.”

In other words, Apple has indirect ownership of your iBooks, because you can’t sell them through anyone but Apple. The clause immediately provoked controversy on the Web, even from some of Apple’s biggest enthusiasts.