Quote:
Originally Posted by Aran
Does anyone know if we'll be able to convert the e-books from the B&N or Amazon store via a program such as calibre to a format readable by the sony reader? That's the main thing I'm worried about right now when deciding which device to buy.
|
If you buy ebooks from the Sony store in the US, they are tied to Sony Readers (and PCs/Macs) and there is currently no way to circumvent their DRM (encryption). So I suggest instead buying ePub ebooks from Books on Board (and/or UK ebook stores), because these are readable on the Sony and their DRM can be circumvented (ineptepub.pyw) if you later switch to a different vendor's ebook reader.
You need a Kindle or an iPhone/Touch to buy ebooks from Amazon, but their AZW format is MOBI which can be made DRM-free (if necessary, not all Amazon ebooks have DRM) using mobidedrm.py. Many other ebook stores sell MOBI ebooks, so mobidedrm.py isn't just for Kindle ebooks. If you buy ebooks from B&N they will currently be in eReader format with DRM which can be removed using ereader2html.py. Finally, MS Reader (LIT) ebooks are often still recommended for those who like to strip DRM from their ebooks. It is sold many places and you use ConvertLIT (or ConvertLIT GUI) to strip the DRM.
Once an ebook is DRM-free, Calibre can convert it into whatever format you want. For the Sony's, use either LRF or ePub.
There have been no US cases directly on point, but it is probable that the circumvention of DRM on ebooks you bought for personal non-commercial use is legal in the US. As a practical matter, even in places (like the UK) were it is illegal to format shift doing so for personal use harms no one and is unlikely to have legal consequences.