FAQ
What is DRM?
DRM is a technology that enables publishers and copyright owners to control the access to medial content, to regulate usage, further processing and distribution of digital data and it opens up new ways of accounting licence fees
Step 1: The document will be encrypted by a special software
Step 2: Based on the users profile the range of usage rights will be
determined and stored on a special permission server.
Step 3: By the aid of a WebPublisher PlugIn the customer can open the
coded document and use it according to the conceded rights
for 30 days.
Download the FileOpen WebPublisher PlugIn
The conceded rights will be bound to the PC with which you open the document first. After clicking the PDF it will not be possible to use the remaining rights on an other PC. Storing or forwarding the document is not allowed. The print-out of the document will be provided by a watermark, containing the name of the licence-holding customer.
Why DRM?
To avoid legal disputes it is of vital importance to reach contractual agreements with publishers and copyright holders. One element of those contracts is the employment of DRM to control and regulate access and use of digital data.
Which documents will be electronically delivered DRM only?
Documents owned by a publisher who has a contractual agreement with the TIB will be delivered to non-German speaking countries only DRM-protected. Current list of contractual publications please click here.
Does the permission to open the document expire?
Yes, once an email containing the link is dispatched you will have 30 days to use it. If the link isn't used within 30 days it will expire.
What happens if it's not possible to open the document?
First of all the plug-in which is required to download encrypted documents might not be installed correctly - please check by clicking on the DRM sample document to verify if the plug-in is working. If not, access again the FileOpenSystems plug-in instructions resp. contact your local systems administrator.
How often may I open / print the document within 30 days?
During the 30 day of availability you can open the document whenever you want to and print it twice. Please note: if the document has been opened once, it is bound to the PC and the user account.
Why do I need a plug-in in order to obtain some articles electronically via TIBORDER?
In principle, German copyright law does not allow electronic delivery to non-academic clients - (this law came into effect from 1.1.2008). Exceptions are only allowed when the appropriate licence agreements between publishing houses and the TIB have been made. The licence agreements usually involve the document which is to be delivered by e-mail being encrypted. Encrypted documents can then be opened and used at the individual’s own computer using a plug-in which ensures that the usage restrictions, which the holder of the rights has defined in licensing agreement contracts, are upheld. Please click here for both a publications list as well as a price list for DRM protected publishing house publications.
Does DRM delivery cost extra?
Please note: prices for documents which can only be provided with DRM protection are determined individually by the publishers. The publisher’s prices are always independent of the mode of delivery and are always in addition to the delivery fee which the TIB charges.
Price lists
The system only lets me print twice, what do I do if the print out is of bad quality due to local technical reasons?
Sorry, the TIB does not accept order claims occurred by the quality of the print-out. This is why we allow printing documents twice. Please make sure your printer does work well while printing the document and avoid it runs out of paper, e.g. The TIB accepts order claims if some pages are missing or if , e.g., diagrams are illegible. In this cases, the TIB will not re-send the complete document but the reclaimed pages free of charge.
If my institution/organization will not allow to install the plug-in for DRM delivery (nor any other plug-in): how can I get the document?
The TIB offers alternate non-electronic delivery methods: please choose fax or mail delivery.