DRM technology and format may be viewed distinctly, as they are two very different things. I sometimes hear it asserted that DRM Interoperability will be addressed by the Open eBook Publication Structure. However, this is not true, nor is it an objective of the OeBF Publication Structure Working Group. The OeBF Publication Structure ensures that content can be viewed on any reading system which is OeB-compliant, so long as the owner of the reading system has the right to read the content on that reading system. The Publication Structure does not, and was not intended to address DRM interoperability.
Specification is all about.
In attempting to craft some sort of DRM eBook interoperability, the approach of OeBF s Publication Structure might well be a useful guide. Two immediate possibilities come to mind. The first, noted in the AAP DRM eBook Report, and quite familiar to participants in EBX, is a common rights language for eBooks. Most of the information on the title page of a book, for example, is metadata. Ensuring that all participants in the eBook value chain have a common understanding of eBook metadata is essential if eBook content is to be described efficiently and effectively, as is the AAP s stated goal.