What is an EULA? End User License Agreements outline exactly what you can do and what you can’t do with the software you bought, rent, or are using an open source version of the software. I will explain some of Apple’s End User License Agreements that people are currently confused by while some people are outright angry. We explain why
Article revision: We revised our article to reflect the fact that iBooks author tool is not a beginners platform.
The latest release of iBooks author tool is great, but quite a few bloggers hated the EULA, because the Author tool isn’t a beginners platform like we previously said. Vanity publishing companies is what we consider a beginners platform, but it is very clear that Apple isn’t a vanity publisher since it owns exclusive rights to what you publish.
While other blogs are in an uproar over this, almost all of them cite one blog post by a blogger who didn’t take the time to research standard EULA’S for book publishers or standard software EULA’S. I’ve read, oh, at least a thousand EULA’S so I know what they normally say. The EULA is written very clearly, so it isn’t hard to understand. The EULA states that if you publish your book for free via iBooks, then you keep the rights to your book, but if you want to publish the book for monetary gain you will have to enter into another contract with Apple, an affiliate of Apple, or a subsidary of Apple and give Apple exclusive rights to your book. If you give Apple exclusive rights to your book, then it can only be sold via Apple, like in the iBookstore. This is the same type of agreement you would find with any other publishing company and it isn’t like Apple is keeping this a secret since it is in bold print at the very beginning of the EULA. This is exactly what the EULA says on the first page in bold print
“IMPORTANT NOTE:
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. “