EDD Toolbox – DRM File Tagging

As a developer of digital products, it is only understandable that you’re proud of your creations and doing everything you can to market and sell them according to their intended purpose. After all, you are practically investing yourself to create something great that people will enjoy using, such as a useful piece of software that will make their work easier, or a beautiful photograph that will boost their mood and inspiration. The nature of your product can vastly vary, but its value will always be indisputable because it’s your personal creation.

All the more reason to always be the one credited for it, for which you have every right.

Danger Ahead

Unfortunately, where there are digital products, there are illegal activities on the web. The more popular your product is, the higher is the possibility that it will be pirated. It’s sorely contradictory, especially since everyone wants their product to become popular. I hate to say it, but the truth of the matter is there are many people out there who won’t mind abusing the privilege of being your client. And no developer would want to support a product that wasn’t legally purchased from their store.

If a client resorts to piracy for whatever reason, you’re bound to lose revenue with every illegal download. Even if you discover the location where your product is being pirated, it is nearly impossible to immediately identify the offending client and take proper measures against their actions. Ultimately, you won’t have any assurance that the misuse of your product won’t happen again, whether by the same individual or someone else.

So how do we protect our businesses from this all too common harmful scenario?

Plugin To The Rescue

You are probably already acquainted with an excellent platform for selling digital products – Easy Digital Downloads – and if you aren’t, you should definitely check it out. Apart from actually enabling you to sell your product online, it is designed to enhance your sales dynamic with a multitude of convenient features, it has flexible options and is easy to use. EDD is often highly recommended by various helpful guides in the field of digital commerce, and if it’s proven to work as intended…you get the idea.

Being an incessantly proactive bunch, EDD Toolbox Team have discovered a way to deal with our aforementioned problem by developing a helpful plugin for Easy Digital Downloads: EDD Toolbox – DRM File Tagging.

What does it do?

EDD Toolbox – DRM File Tagging plugin does exactly what it says on the tin: it tags your file so you can easily identify the details of its purchase wherever you may find it. The tag is added to the purchased product the moment your client downloads it, without altering the product in any conceivable or noticeable manner. This method is incomparable to any other kind of tagging precisely for its discretion. It’s so neat to ensure security by something so minuscule, yet incredibly important.

The plugin currently supports PHP and JPG files. This means your piece of software can be a WordPress plugin or theme, or any kind of software written in PHP, or an image in JPG format. These types of files are the most common among digital products and thus they apply to a wide range of users. Future plans do entail more variety, including PDF, TIFF, SVG and similar.

These tags are meant to be non-intrusive and visible only via the plugin itself, or in other words, only by the creator of file in question.

How does it work?

DRM File Tagging plugin requires Easy Digital Downloads as a sales platform of your website, so it should go without saying that you need the latter before you add the former. Just like other useful addons for EDD that you may wish to use, this combo further enhances your sales and their management.

You can easily access DRM File Tagging plugin in the EDD Toolbox menu on your Dashboard, where you are free to setup its functioning according to your needs. Namely, you can entirely disable PHP or JPG files tagging, depending on the nature of your product; for example, if you’re selling only photographs, you won’t need to bother with extra options that involve PHP.

When adding a new product, tagging will be presented to you under the Download Files section of the product setup page. It’s super simple: check the desired box and upload your file. That’s it, securing your product is done! You are free to proceed with your settings, depending on other plugins you own for further enhancements.

Now, let’s assume that the unwanted event has occurred: you’ve found your product offered for download somewhere other than your online store. Since you’ve already tagged your creation, you can immediately take actions to find the culprit. The steps are quite simple and efficient; you will be guided by the instructions within the very plugin. The end result provides all the information you need, so you will be able to pinpoint both the client and the purchase details.

What happens next regarding the offender is entirely up to you as the wounded party. Whatever you may do, keep in mind that the most important thing is stopping further misuse of your software and taking it down from any place on the web that isn’t your store.

By protecting your files with EDD Toolbox – DRM File Tagging plugin, you’re creating an additional assurance that your revenue goes exactly where it’s meant – to you, while actively discouraging piracy towards your digital product. It’s a kind of investment that should be a part of any software-related business.