When you purchase a licence for an ebook, you are given the right to read and use that ebook, under particular terms. 


Digital Rights Management, or DRM, is a system of protecting digital content, so that it cannot be copied, stolen, printed, or used in a way that the publisher or owner of the content objects to.


Snapplify ensures strict encryption and protection of publisher-owned content using SnappSafe DRM, our international-standard, tried-and-tested DRM software. 


Types of licence restrictions


Territorial restrictions

Publishers may restrict access to an ebook based on the location of the user (this usually occurs where the publisher does not have rights of sale in a particular territory). The publisher will specify the allowed/disallowed countries on a per-title basis.


If you are in a disallowed country, you will not be able to purchase the title. If you want to buy a book that is not available in your territory, you can raise this with our support team by emailing [email protected]..


Device limits

When it comes to loading your purchased content onto devices, there's a restriction on how many devices you can use. This limit is decided by the book's publisher and typically falls between two and five devices.


If you find that you can't download the content onto another device, it's likely that you've hit the maximum number of devices allowed for that particular content.


A licence can only be used by one user. 
Each license is meant for a single user and is linked to that individual's profile. It's important to note that sharing a license among multiple users is not permitted under any circumstances. You can learn more about why transferring ebooks to another account is not allowed.


If you believe that you have not yet reached your device limit, and you cannot download your books, you should contact [email protected].


Copy/paste restrictions

Copy/paste functions within ebooks are disabled due to copyright requirements.

While you cannot copy/paste sections out of the book, you can easily make notes and highlights, and bookmark important sections that you want to come back to later.


Licence period

Users have access to read a purchased ebook for the duration of the licence period. Once the licence expires, they will no longer have access to the ebook.


You should therefore select the licence that is most appropriate for your usage requirements. 


There are three different licence periods:

  • One-year licence: If you only need to use a book for one year, you can save money by buying a one-year licence. It’s much cheaper than buying a perpetual licence.
  • Three-year licence: If you need the book for longer than one year, but don’t need it forever, you can buy a three-year licence.
  • Perpetual licence: If you want to be able to read the book forever, you can buy a perpetual licence. That way, you’ll never lose your access to it.
Learn more about library licences and how these differ from single-user licences.


Need help? Use the live chat in the bottom right corner of your screen or email us at [email protected]