Apple updates iBooks, fixes Author EULA

Last updated: May 16, 2021 4:33 pm UTC

Apple has released a minor maintenance update to iBooks, addressing an issue where iBooks textbooks may not open under certain circumstances. An update to iBooks Author has also been released on the Mac App Store expressly to provide an updated version of the End User License Agreement.

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The original iBooks Author EULA drew criticism for a clause suggesting that Apple was potentially claiming exclusive distribution rights for any commercial work produced with the iBooks Author application, preventing users from distributing such works in other formats. The new EULA adds some necessary clarification, with an update to section 2.B.(ii) which now reads

”(ii) if the work is provided for a fee (including as part of any subscription-based product or service) and includes files in the .ibooks format generated using iBooks Author, the work may only be distributed through Apple, and such distribution will be subject to a separate written agreement with Apple (or an Apple affiliate or subsidiary); provided, however, that this restriction will not apply to the content of the work when distributed in a form that does not include files in the .ibooks format generated using iBooks Author. You retain all your rights in the content of your works, and you may distribute such content by any means when it does not include files in the .ibooks format generated by iBooks Author.”

The new EULA clause clarifies that Apple is enforcing exclusive distribution rights solely on content packaged in its own proprietary iBooks format, but that users retain their rights in their original content and may distribute this content outside of the iBookstore in any other format.