This sounds like a Spendesk problem, not an ebook problem.
We have some other examples of this in software:
* There was an article here on HN a couple of days ago, regarding how Windows 95 detected SimCity and treated memory allocations differently if it was running. (https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/windows-95-went-the-...)
* Excel still treats 1900 as a leap year, which it was not, for greater compatibility with Lotus 1-2-3. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/excel/...
* The Linux kernel has an extremely strict policy of not breaking userland - to the point of keeping buggy behavior in place (I can't find a reference for this one, but I believe it one notorious case involved PulseAudio and one of Linus's earlier "moments").