Look before you click

A good example of the perils of just clicking through EULAs — no matter how long or depressing — seems to be evident at the moment, with the launch of Apple's new iBook Author software.

The software looks to be a simple and intuitive way of creating electronic books. Like Pages and Keynote, some of Apple's software, it's designed in a way to be easy to use, and to produce aesthetically pleasing results.

Unlike Pages and Keynote, however — at least, for now — a term of the iBooks Author EULA appears to limit offering for sale the output product of the tool — that is to say, the book that I design using the tool — to Apple's platform only. You can give a book away without involving Apple but, if you want to sell the book, it must be through Apple's own channel, and you must pay Apple for the privilege.

Apple's website copy is carefully crafted:

When it’s just the way you want and you’re ready to publish, iBooks Author helps you submit to the iBookstore for purchase or free download. You can also export it in iBooks format to share on iTunes U or to give to anyone with an iPad.

(my emphasis)

As the Venomous Porridge blog provides, there are two sections of the EULA giving a warning:

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.

And in section 2:

B. Distribution of your Work. As a condition of this License and provided you are in compliance with its terms, your Work may be distributed as follows:
(i) if your Work is provided for free (at no charge), you may distribute the Work by any available means;
(ii) if your Work is provided for a fee (including as part of any subscription-based product or service), you may only distribute the Work through Apple and such distribution is subject to the following limitations and conditions: (a) you will be required to enter into a separate written agreement with Apple (or an Apple affiliate or subsidiary) before any commercial distribution of your Work may take place; and (b) Apple may determine for any reason and in its sole discretion not to select your Work for distribution.

Perhaps this is reasonable for a free tool, to prevent people from taking Apple's investment and not giving back to Apple? Personally, I would not feel comfortable with this software, though; I've often wondered about writing eBooks, but I would not want to limit myself to just the iBooks platform, nor have to spend more time using other tools for other platforms, unless the cost/benefit analysis was clearly in favour of doing so. To my mind, this is an aggressive approach, pushing the "appification" of software into the PC environment.

Caveat author.