Is It Really This Easy?

[Michele]

I noticed a book on the Connect site today, published by ereads.com.

I checked the ereads.com site and saw that their multiformat does not seem to include RTF. However it does include LIT.

Then I found free software, ABC Amber LIT Converter, which apparently easily converts LIT to RTF.

Can it really be this easy to get content for our Sony Readers from sites that sell LIT format books? What about other formats? If so, I really want to know, because it significantly expands my/our options for content.

Do you think that Sony is just converting ereads.com books (with permission) into RTF format and selling it on the Connect site, or is there probably an arrangement to create it in the Sony DRM? If there is, then maybe it means more content will become available on Connect.

[Michele]

Oops, when it says PRINTING DISABLED on the multiformat description, does that cause conversion tools like this to be disabled too?

[Alexander Turcic]

Originally Posted by Michele

Can it really be this easy to get content for our Sony Readers from sites that sell LIT format books? What about other formats? If so, I really want to know, because it significantly expands my/our options for content.

It is usually very easy to convert from LIT to HTML (using the original software ConvertLIT) or directly from LIT to RTF (using some third party tool that builds upon the ConvertLIT sources, like the ABC Amber Converter). It may be illegal to use in some countries (if you are not allowed to circumvent the protection), but if you originally bought it, it may just as well be considered fair use.

[ChrisAllenFiz]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

It is usually very easy to convert from LIT to HTML (using the original software ConvertLIT) or directly from LIT to RTF (using some third party tool that builds upon the ConvertLIT sources, like the ABC Amber Converter). It may be illegal to use in some countries (if you are not allowed to circumvent the protection), but if you originally bought it, it may just as well be considered fair use.

In cases like this where the law is pratically unenforceable, it comes down to individual morals. I have no problem with breaking drm to read a book I have already paid for. Nor would I worry about downloading a book I already own in print form.

All in all, its a wooly area, like listening to MP3s of CDs you own, and recording TV programs.

[Moonraker]

David Rothman makes a good comment on Teleread:

http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=5632

[Michele]

Holy crap! Does this happen often around here?

Bye. Nice knowing you.

[Alexander Turcic]

Originally Posted by ChrisAllenFiz

In cases like this where the law is pratically unenforceable, it comes down to individual morals. I have no problem with breaking drm to read a book I have already paid for. Nor would I worry about downloading a book I already own in print form.

All in all, its a wooly area, like listening to MP3s of CDs you own, and recording TV programs.

Ditto.

[Alexander Turcic]

Originally Posted by Michele

Bye. Nice knowing you.

Huh? Michele, you are not leaving us, are you?

[Michele]

Sorry, that freaked me out. I've never had a post picked up and discussed elsewhere, and I misinterpreted his hostile tone on first reading.

'S cool now.

[bingle]

Originally Posted by Michele

Sorry, that freaked me out. I've never had a post picked up and discussed elsewhere, and I misinterpreted his hostile tone on first reading.

'S cool now.

It is a scary concept, though. It turns out that yes, converting copy-protected books into other formats is possibly illegal. Apparently, you can't even count on a fair-use defense (I was talking to a lawyer involved in the RIAA music-sharing cases, and he said there's been no determination of whether turning a CD you own into an MP3, for personal consumption, is legal or not - and that doesn't even involve the evil DMCA!).

But yeah, David is just hostile towards the law that makes it illegal to do things like that (and even illegal to discuss them, as we're doing! At least in the US...)

But don't let it scare you too much. It's impossible to truly enforce, and I've been discussing format conversion for a while now, including LIT files. If you want to keep converting them, you might check out vvv's BookDesigner 4.0, since it creates LRF files (the Reader's native file type). It's harder to use than ABCLit, but has many more options.

(There's my thread about this here .)

[Michele]

Thanks, bingle, I'll look into it.

Maybe I didn't make it clear that the books I was referring to were offered for sale in multi-format, including: Rocket/REB1100 (RB) , Adobe Acrobat (PDF) , Palm Doc (PDB) , Microsoft Reader (LIT) - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) , hiebook (KML) , iSilo (PDB) , Mobipocket (PRC) , OEBFF Format (IMP).

I think it's obvious that the publisher intends wide-spread use of the text in a range of ebook formats. Let's just assume that for now. How best to use purchased multiformat texts for Reader? PDF isn't a very good option, and RTF isn't offered.

[bingle]

Originally Posted by Michele

Thanks, bingle, I'll look into it.

Maybe I didn't make it clear that the books I was referring to were offered for sale in multi-format, including: Rocket/REB1100 (RB) , Adobe Acrobat (PDF) , Palm Doc (PDB) , Microsoft Reader (LIT) - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) , hiebook (KML) , iSilo (PDB) , Mobipocket (PRC) , OEBFF Format (IMP).

I think it's obvious that the publisher intends wide-spread use of the text in a range of ebook formats. Let's just assume that for now. How best to use purchased multiformat texts for Reader? PDF isn't a very good option, and RTF isn't offered.

Are the books in protected format? If they are, it's still illegal to transform them into another format - despite what the publisher wants :-) I'm not familiar with most of those formats, so I don't know if they include DRM or not.

But anyway, to answer your question, I've had good luck with converting .LIT files to other formats (both RTF and BBeB.) I haven't had a lot of luck with PDFs.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by bingle

Are the books in protected format? If they are, it's still illegal to transform them into another format....

In the U.S. -- other countries may have different laws.

[Leaping Gnome]

The DMCA is definitely a scary thing, but it has not been ruled on that it is constitutionally kosher to limit your fair use rights as far as I know. I'm not aware of anyone being taken to court for violating the DMCA's provision on bypassing encryption/security for an item typically covered under their own personal fair use. The high profile cases that have involved the DMCA and fair use were cases against parties that were producing tools/instructions allowing others to violate the DMCA. Like a company makes a tool to strip PDF DRM and distributes it, there would be a DMCA case against them. The people using the tool for personal fair use do not have a case against them.

In other words as a personal user, don't worry about it too much yet.

[Moonraker]

I believe format shifting is legal for personal use in many countries.

If we are allowed to format shift the tracks from our music cds and put them on our iPods as mp3's where's the difference in format shifting a book/ebook?