DeMarque launches a Readium LCP compliant mobile app

In a press release this week, DeMarque has announced the launch of an iOS mobile application dedicated to library lending in Quebec. This app will be used initially in Quebec City, but its use should quickly spread in all parts of Quebec where PRETNUMERIQUE.CA is a great success, with 5 million loans, more than 360.000 patrons and 139 libraries.

The most interesting specificity of this mobile app (for us) is the support of the Readium LCP DRM for the enforcement of the start & end dates of the loan, as a replacement for the Adobe DRM.

As the press release states, moving to Readium LCP presents many advantages over the Adobe solution: lower the cost of loans and the cost of support for libraries, ease the use of ebooks for library users.

DeMarque is a convinced adopter of Readium LCP: they have participated to the definition of the Readium LCP specification and developed the initial version of an open-source Readium LCP license server.

To enable Readium LCP on their iOS reading app, DeMarque has also upgraded their e-distribution and library platforms. It means that all DeMarque customers, including Eden Livres in France, will very soon be able to distribute Readium LCP protected ebooks both for e-lending and retail.

Reading applications supporting Readium LCP will enable their users to buy, borrow or rent EPUB ebooks from different booksellers and public libraries with ease, in a 100% interoperable way. This includes people with visual disabilities, as the accessibility of ebooks is a strong pillar of EDRLab efforts. Those interested will find more details on Readium LCP here.

Several developers of e-distribution solutions and reading apps are also currently integrating Readium LCP in their products, and it won’t be long before the PNB (Prêt Numérique en Bibliothèque) solution in France supports Readium LCP for library lending.

Therefore we should see the advent of a flourishing LCP ecosystem in the coming months, thanks to the support of the international publishing industry, especially the 39 current members of EDRLab.