FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
eBooks.com will adopt Readium LCP DRM company-wide as part of a broader move toward independence and an open ebook ecosystem
Perth, Australia, 3 June 2026
eBooks.com today announced a new partnership with EDRLab, the European Digital Reading Lab, to adopt Readium LCP as its company-wide digital rights management technology.
The move marks an important step in eBooks.com’s long-term strategy to make ebooks easier to buy, download and read, while supporting a healthier, more interoperable ebook ecosystem for readers, authors, publishers and booksellers.
DRM, or digital rights management, is the technology used by publishers and retailers to protect ebooks from unauthorised copying and distribution. For many years, ebook DRM has too often been associated with complexity: customers have been asked to install unfamiliar software, create accounts with third-party providers, remember separate credentials and navigate a process that can feel more technical than literary.
Readium LCP (Licensed Content Protection) is a modern, vendor-neutral DRM system designed specifically for digital publishing. It protects publishers’ rights while making life simpler for readers. In practical terms, this means customers can open and read protected ebooks without being forced to create a separate account with a third-party DRM provider.
“Readers should not need a user’s manual just to open a book,” said Stephen Cole, Founder and CEO of eBooks.com. “Our partnership with EDRLab is about removing unnecessary friction from the reading experience. LCP allows us to protect publishers’ content while giving customers a cleaner, simpler and more intuitive way to access the books they have bought.”
This is not a conspiracy to bring down Amazon, it’s just the next logical step in making life simpler for readers
EDRLab is a European not-for-profit organisation whose work supports open standards, interoperability and independent digital reading infrastructure. Its mission is closely aligned with eBooks.com’s belief that the ebook market should not be dominated by closed, proprietary ecosystems. By supporting LCP, eBooks.com is part of a growing international movement of publishers, booksellers, libraries, distributors and reading-system providers working toward a more open future for ebooks.
eBooks.com joins a growing international community of LCP adopters that includes major library platforms, ebook distributors, reading-app developers, academic suppliers and retailers across Europe, North America and beyond. Current adopters include:
- Internet Archive
- PocketBook
- FBReader
- EBSCO eBooks
- Gardners
- Glassboxx
- Aldiko
- NetGalley
The more ebook companies that adopt LCP, the more useful it becomes. A reader who buys an LCP-protected ebook from one provider can, in principle, read it in any compatible LCP reading app. That interoperability stands in sharp contrast to “walled garden” ebook ecosystems, where books are often locked to a single retailer, device or application.
For readers, the benefits are immediate and practical: fewer accounts, fewer passwords, fewer failed authorisations and more freedom to choose how and where they read. For authors, LCP offers robust content protection without forcing readers into proprietary systems controlled by a handful of dominant technology companies.
“For more than 25 years, eBooks.com has operated as an independent ebook retailer,” said Cole. “We believe readers should have real choice. We believe publishers and authors benefit when there are more routes to market. Independent ebook businesses can now work together to build technology that serves the whole ecosystem — not just the largest platforms.”
The adoption of LCP is also part of a wider transformation at eBooks.com. The company is rolling out an entirely new reading platform, designed around accessibility, ease of use and interoperability from the ground up. The platform will give customers a modern reading experience across devices while reducing dependence on older, more cumbersome DRM workflows.
“This is not simply a technical upgrade,” said Cole. “It is a statement about the kind of ebook world we want to help build: one that is easier for readers, fairer for authors and publishers, and less dependent on monopoly platforms.”
eBooks.com is providing customers with detailed guidance as the new LCP-enabled reading options become available. The transition is designed to be gradual, practical and customer-friendly, with support for existing reading methods continuing where needed.
About eBooks.com
Founded in 1997, eBooks.com is the world’s longest-established independent ebook retailer. The company is headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, and sells ebooks to readers around the world. Its catalogue spans trade, professional, academic and educational titles. eBooks.com is committed to making digital reading simpler, more accessible and more open.
EDRLab
EDRLab, the European Digital Reading Lab, is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Paris. It supports open standards and develops technology for the digital publishing ecosystem, including Readium projects and Readium LCP. EDRLab works with publishers, booksellers, libraries, distributors and technology providers to promote interoperability and improve digital reading for everyone.
Media Contact
Stephen Cole
eBooks.com
reading@ebooks.com
+61 413 622 767
www.ebooks.com
