Amazon Updates Copyright Rules for Kindle Direct Publishing
▼ Summary
– Amazon will allow authors to offer DRM-free e-books in EPUB and PDF formats through Kindle Direct Publishing starting January 20, 2026.
– The choice to apply Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection rests entirely with the author when publishing on the platform.
– This change does not apply automatically to previously published titles; authors must manually update their settings for older works.
– The policy shift may actually encourage some authors to enable DRM to prevent easy PDF/EPUB distribution, as indicated by one author’s perspective.
– This move contrasts with Amazon’s recent actions making it harder for Kindle users to back up or share e-books through stricter DRM on devices.
Amazon is introducing a significant change to its Kindle Direct Publishing platform, giving authors greater control over their digital book formats. Starting January 20, 2026, writers who choose to publish their e-books without Digital Rights Management (DRM) will see those titles automatically offered in both EPUB and PDF formats for customers. This update provides readers with more flexibility, allowing them to enjoy purchased content on a wider array of devices and platforms outside the traditional Kindle ecosystem.
The choice to apply DRM, a technology designed to prevent unauthorized copying and sharing, remains entirely with the author at the point of publication. This policy shift does not affect books already live in the store. For previously published works, authors must manually update their preferences through the KDP author portal if they wish to alter the DRM status. Detailed instructions for making this change are available on Amazon’s support site.
Interestingly, this new openness might lead some authors to tighten their controls rather than loosen them. The prospect of books being easily downloadable as universal PDFs has raised concerns within the writing community. As one author noted in a KDP forum discussion, while they previously avoided DRM to allow household sharing between devices, the new policy makes enabling protection for future titles more appealing. They expressed hesitation about making their work available in such a portable format.
Other community members countered this viewpoint, arguing that determined individuals could always convert existing DRM-free Kindle files using third-party software. They suggested the update doesn’t fundamentally alter the piracy landscape, but rather formalizes a process that was already technically possible.
Amazon frames the feature as a customer-friendly move, simplifying access to legally purchased content. However, the onus is on authors to actively opt-in for their backlist titles. To make an older book DRM-free, a writer must explicitly check a box acknowledging that customers, both new and existing, will gain the ability to download the title as an EPUB or PDF.
This expansion of format options contrasts with other recent Amazon policies that have restricted user actions. Updates to the Kindle software for newer device generations have implemented a more robust DRM system. These changes effectively prevent owners from creating personal backups of their e-book libraries without resorting to device jailbreaking, a complex process that voids warranties. This followed the earlier removal of the “Download & Transfer via USB” function, a decision that frustrated many dedicated Kindle users.
Once an author updates a book’s DRM setting, Amazon states it can take up to 72 hours for the change to be fully processed and visible on the retail website. This window allows the system to propagate the new file formats and update the product listings accordingly.
(Source: TechCrunch)
