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Answer

Is it legal to convert a PDF I bought to EPUB?

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It depends on the copyright law of your country and on the licence you accepted when you bought the PDF, so there is no single yes or no; converting a file only for your own reading is treated differently from sharing it. This is general information, not legal advice: convert only files you have the right to use, and check the seller's terms or ask a lawyer when in doubt.

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Questions to ask yourself

  • Did you write the document, or is it public domain or under a licence that allows changes, such as many Creative Commons licences? Then converting it is normally not a problem.
  • Did you buy it? Read the seller's licence: some allow personal format changes, some forbid them.
  • Is the conversion only for your own reading, or will you share or sell the EPUB? Distribution is where most legal risk lies.

DRM and protected files

Many purchased e-books and some PDFs are protected with DRM or a password. In many countries, removing or bypassing that protection is restricted by law even for personal use. EpubCC does not remove DRM: it refuses encrypted or password-protected PDFs and asks you to provide an unprotected file, which only someone with the right to do so should produce. The EPUBs EpubCC writes carry no DRM.

What EpubCC does with your file

Your file is converted for you only. It is never published, never shown to anyone else and never used for training or for our benchmark without your explicit permission, and it is deleted automatically on a fixed schedule, or at once with "Delete now".

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FAQ

Is it legal to convert a PDF I bought to EPUB?

It depends on the copyright law of your country and on the licence you accepted when you bought the PDF, so there is no single yes or no; converting a file only for your own reading is treated differently from sharing it. This is general information, not legal advice: convert only files you have the right to use, and check the seller's terms or ask a lawyer when in doubt.

Can EpubCC convert a PDF with a password?

No. Encrypted or password-protected PDFs are refused; the conversion fails with a clear message instead of trying to break the protection.

Is converting public-domain books fine?

Works in the public domain in your country can be copied and converted freely; check that the edition you have does not add new copyrighted material, such as a modern introduction.