Quote:
Originally Posted by ghchinoy
I don't think Amazon can change the PID on the hardware, I believe this is the same reason why, if you deauthorize your Kindle and sell it to someone else, they get all the ebooks that remain on the device. Same thing with the iPhone/iPodTouch - that serial number's hard coded. (Until they change their their DRM scheme).
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
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I believe you're correct. The PID is derived from your serial number using a specific algorithm. There is only one mathematical outcome (PID) that can be derived from the serial number.
At any rate, for every DRM there are multiple ways to break it. All that's needed is some ingenuity.
For example you don't even need your Kindle's PID to break DRM. Off the top of my head - Download and install Mobipocket Reader. It will gladly give you a PID. Now go buy Mobi books with it all day long, then run mobidedrm against the e-books. The resulting e-book will work on your Kindle because the DRM is stripped. This is done without ever having the Kindle's PID. Amazon should be worried about mobidedrm.py, not kindlepid.py.
I don't believe Amazon put much effort into their protection scheme because they were relying on the DMCA to protect them. Besides which, no amount of DRM engineering would have helped. It can always be reverse-engineered. On top of all THAT, I think the Amazon store stands pretty well on its own. It's easier just to buy Kindle books from them than to pirate, based on ease of use and low cost. The DRM isn't even necessary in my opinion, at this point it's just bullying.
As a side note, I believe the reason Amazon e-books remain on the device is that there's a specific clause in the DMCA regarding resale of books. While e-books are not transferable property, they are transferable if they're done so on the same device they were registered on.
If you look closely at Amazon's actions and methods, they have interpreted the DMCA closely and have been very strategic in how they've structured their business around the Kindle.