Re: Encrypting Text

Anna:

Let me say right off, I'm talking about the PRACTICAL aspect here. The
simple answer is -- NO!!

Once your customers pull the book copy off the CD and into their computer,
they "own" it.  Maybe not legally but it's theirs to do-with as they will.

The only way to protect data is to lock it into a vault and hire a small
army to protect the vault. Even printed books can fall victim to a thirty
dollar OCR program.

Now--having said all that--I doubt that you need worry too much. Most people
are honest. And even if they weren't, stealing data is hard work. So--unless
your CD is rather expensive, it's a lot cheaper in time, etc. to simply send
the CD back and forth or buy a second one.

To illustrate my point: I have three action adventure novels on the web.
www.temercraft.com/novels/ (spies, war, sex and violence, etc.)

The entire text is right on the web for all to see. I have asked readers to
send along five bucks to keep the author in coffee.  In two years, I have
thus far received a couple dozen e-mails pointing out my spelling and other
factual shortcomings and a total of thirty five dollars.

However--also thus far--no Hollywood movie producer has stolen any of the
books to make a movie .... ??

Best wishes
Ted Temer
Temercraft Designs Redding, CA
temer(at)c-zone.net
www.temercraft.com/
www.newsredding.com/


> Since we've been talking about encrypting images, I'd like to ask a
> related question.  I am starting a small electronic book publishing
> company (kids' books).  I'd like either to make the texts available as
> downloads or as books on CD-ROMS, both in HTML.  If I sell the books on
> CD-ROMS, there's nothing to prevent the buyer from saving the HTML text
> and passing it along as an e-mail attachment.  I suspect the world will
> not be clamoring for Anna Olswanger books, but, still, I see no reason
> to give away the store.  Is there a way to encrypt text to prevent it
> from being saved and passed on in e-mail?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Anna Olswanger
> http://www.olswanger.com/shlemiel.html
>
>

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