It is now illegal to break DRM in Canada!

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by ApK

Why on earth would you bother? Just dump the gibberish files into Calibre. They immediately show up with all the proper metadata, and you normally never need to touch or see the filename at all. If you do ever need to export the file from Calibre, it's going to be automatically renamed with the metadata you've chosen anyway. IOW, Calibre is an automatic file renaming tool, as well.

ApK

MY personal choice. I like to be tidy when I have file names to deal with on my computer. Simply me.

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by Quexos

I don't suppose I'll ever live in Canada so I should not be concerned by this evil law ...

The Canadian governments stonewalled for years before they finally bowed to external pressures and enacted the law. You should be concerned about the same kind of pressures being applied in your country, as well. This is not just a Canadian problem.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

Amazon.com is the American site. I doubt that they would provide any statistics tracking a change in the buying habits of Canadians. Perhaps you know different.

I am quite certain that they track where all thier sales are coming from on all thier country sites. Whether or not they'd provide that info to anyone I don't know, but I doubt the answer changes based on which url the sale was made through.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by ApK

I am quite certain that they track where all thier sales are coming from on all thier country sites. Whether or not they'd provide that info to anyone I don't know, but I doubt the answer changes based on which url the sale was made through.

Sorry I misunderstood what you were saying earlier
Helen

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by ApK

On the flip side, the most likely scenario is that nothing will change. The vast majority of folks will simply obey they law, enjoying the convenience of pushing the Buy button on their Kindle or Nook, and never give a thought to format- or space-shifting, and the subculture that does otherwise will continue to do otherwise.

This

Originally Posted by ApK

On the flip side, the most likely scenario is that nothing will change. The vast majority of folks will simply obey they law, enjoying the convenience of pushing the Buy button on their Kindle or Nook, and never give a thought to format- or space-shifting, and the subculture that does otherwise will continue to do otherwise.

I'm not so sure of that. DRM makes the legitimate use of digital media difficult for ordinary users, particularly when they are switching devices That seems to be when people learn about DRM stripping and format-shifting.

DRM isn't about copyright anyhow. It is about locking consumers into a single vendor and restricting their use of that product (e.g. no resale).

[ApK]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

I'm not so sure of that. DRM makes the legitimate use of digital media difficult for ordinary users, particularly when they are switching devices That seems to be when people learn about DRM stripping and format-shifting.

By all indications, it's a relatively small subset who care. That small set claims be looking out for the majority, to protect them when and if it become a concern for them. Fine, but the reality seems to be that it poses little practical difficulty for the majority.
I do expect that now that e-readers are cheap, popular and competitive across vendors it WILL start to become more of an issue for the majority.
When Kindle what the only game in town and cost hundreds of dollars, who cared about planning to switch devices?

DRM isn't about copyright anyhow.

Yeah, it absolutely is. That is the only reason that publishers and distributors insist on it. Disney and the RIAA have not a care in the world what vendor, or how many vendors display the content to you, as long as they get paid for it.
(I'm not claiming it's a sensible or effective approach, but it clearly is the reason.)

It is about locking consumers into a single vendor and restricting their use of that product (e.g. no resale).

This is a side consequence that makes the system bad for consumers and makes it less likely that vendors will enthusiastically join in opposition.
But it's not the reason for it.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Victoria

As a Canadian, I hate the new law, but I have to agree with you. They're not the same thing.

I hate it too, and I strongly suspect it won't stand a good court test. And someone will undoubtedly test it. However, it doesn't change the fact that it is a stupidly written law.

Originally Posted by Pookeysgirl

I live in Canada. I could care less about this law. I will still strip my books now for the same reason I did yesterday...so I can keep my books if Kobo or Amazon goes under, or if I am no longer able to access them through their websites.

Actually, I don't care much about one or the other going under, I care about being able to read on the device of my choice. So I buy ePubs from Kobo and Kindle format from Amazon. And Kindle format from Baen where this is a total non-issue.

Originally Posted by Pookeysgirl

Stripping DRM from Kindle books is just as easy as Epub, using the plug ins for Calibre. Exact same steps, exact same amount of time.

Well, since I have a Kindle, it's actually fewer steps. I just buy it and ship it to my computer for download to my kindle over USB, and it comes right in. AND has a meaningful filename on my hard disk even before it gets to Calibre.

[sabredog]

I must admit, the closing paragraph from the article on Teleread rings very true to me.

Yes, it is ‘wrong’ to pirate. But now, it’s also ‘wrong’ to buy a Kobo book and then unlock it to read on a Kindle. So if one is ‘breaking the law’ anyway, why not have the free, unlocked copy?

http://www.teleread.com/copy-right/i...oks-in-canada/

[PurpleStar]

Since I read this news, I have now decided to not buy any e-books that have DRM. I was breaking the DRM on books I've bought, but now since it's illegal to do so, I guess those publishers that have DRM infested e-books have now lost business from me. Looks like I'll be buying a lot of e-books from Baen and Tor. Anything else I want, I'll borrow from the library, even if it's only available on paper. Just think of the money I'll save. Thanks, Canadian government!

[dsip]

Originally Posted by Victoria

As a Canadian, I hate the new law, but I have to agree with you. They're not the same thing.

I, personally, can't help but think that giving any money to corporations lobbying for legal restrictions like that is far more immoral than wanting to read a book without spending money..

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by dsip

I, personally, can't help but think that giving any money to corporations lobbying for legal restrictions like that is far more immoral than wanting to read a book without spending money..

Nothing illegal about wanting to read a book without spending money. Nothing illegal about wanting a new car or a steak dinner without spending money. It is how you go about getting these things without money that may be illegal although in most cases it can be done legally with a bit of effort.

Books are easy though, just say library.

Helen

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

The biggest problem I have (and this isn't unique to Amazon) is having the author's first and last names reversed.

You can fix this. In the Edit Metadata window, click on the gear next to the download Metadata button. There check the box to swap Auther names from FN LN to LN, FN.

Carol

[BeccaPrice]

oh, yeah, I know how to fix it, it's just that sometimes I remember and sometimes I don't, and it's a pain.

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

oh, yeah, I know how to fix it, it's just that sometimes I remember and sometimes I don't, and it's a pain.

Since I checked that box all mine show up the same, LN, FN. I don't have to do anything each time. It's automatic. Wonder why yours is not consistent.