Mobipocket Decoder Tool

[joneall]

I'm new to this forum. I just bought a Cybook Gen3 and only after I got it learned that you have to enter the devices PID or use the Mobipocket Reader, which I suppose does it for you, to download books.

Frankly, it ticks me off quite royally to think that I can only load books to one reader! (I'm probably not alone there.) A number of questions spring up:

1. What happens when I want to change readers? Or when mine breaks? Or when Mobipocket is replaced by something else?

2. I'm used to lending books (real books) to friends. Why can't I do this with Mobipockets (Or other prooprietary formats)?

I read on this site

http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2006...-letters-mean/

that you can save the files to 4 different readers, but have no idea how to go about that. It also says you can delete a device and add another, without more explanation.

Why are the ebook manufacturers trying to make things so complicated? Ok, ok, I know... the bottom line. Their bottom line.

[pdurrant]

1. If your new reader supports DRMed Mobipocket files, you go back to where you bought your books, enter the PID from your new device, and re-download all your books. Of course, it's possible that by the time you want to do this the store will be gone, or will no longer be offering those books for re-download. (e.g. see Fictionwise and OverDrive Mobipocket ebooks.)

2. You can't do that with DRMed eBooks. After all, publishers don't want you lending books to friends. They might enjoy the book so much they'll buy others by the same author. :-)

Why are they doing this? Because most book publishers haven't got a clue about digital stuff, ebooks and DRM. They're like the music business of five years ago - insisting on DRM on everything. Note that all the main music stores now sell all DRM-free music. Unfortunately we don't have anyone badgering the book publishers to get DRM free yet, like Apple did with the music businesses.

Some (smaller) publishers do understand. The prime example is Baen Books, who've been releasing inexpensive drm-free eBook versions of /all/ their output for ten years or so. Great if you like SF/Fantasy. http://www.webscription.net/

Originally Posted by joneall

I1. What happens when I want to change readers? Or when mine breaks? Or when Mobipocket is replaced by something else?

2. I'm used to lending books (real books) to friends. Why can't I do this with Mobipockets (Or other prooprietary formats)?


Why are the ebook manufacturers trying to make things so complicated? Ok, ok, I know... the bottom line. Their bottom line.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by joneall

that you can save the files to 4 different readers, but have no idea how to go about that. It also says you can delete a device and add another, without more explanation.

There is typically a help page at the site where you bought your MOBI ebooks explaining this. Each DRMed MOBI file has "slots" for 4 PIDs, and it will only display the ebook using MobiPocket reader software on the devices with those PIDs.

Since this is a mobidedrm thread, I assume you have already found out that it is relatively easy to strip the DRM from your MOBI ebooks. They can then be read on any device supported by mobipocket, and even by 3rd party readers like FBReader. Finally they can be shifted to other ebook formats, e.g. via Calibre. Some countries have laws that appear to make circumventing DRM illegal, however it often isn't clear if this applies to circumvention of DRM for personal use on ebooks you paid for.

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

Some countries have laws that appear to make circumventing DRM illegal, however it often isn't clear if this applies to circumvention of DRM for personal use on ebooks you paid for.

Could you tell me please what countries? With references if at all possible?

I've seen this statement many times, but have never seen a list of countries nor any documentary evidence.

Regards, Alex

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

Could you tell me please what countries? With references if at all possible?

There is an overview in Wikipedia: Digital rights management, although it is US and Europe centric. The DRM laws all stem from the WIPO Copyright Treaty, which means that it will become illegal in many more places over time. The issue of anti-circumvention exemptions (e.g. for personal use) is murky, even inside the US where "fair use" is well established and there is currently an explicit exception for some ebooks (DMCA: Anti-circumvention exemptions).

[joneall]

Originally Posted by joneall

I read on this site

http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2006...-letters-mean/

that you can save the files to 4 different readers..

Now I looked at the Mobipocket site at

http://www.mobipocket.com/en/buy/Ter...sp?Language=EN

and their terms very explicitly state

"You admit and you accept that the product or the service bought is exclusively readable on the PDA corresponding to the PID you registered on the Site at the inscription moment."

For me, this is definitely a sort of bovine fecal matter with which nobody should have to put up!

As to the method for removing protections from these files, I have got lost in all the supposed hints to how to do it or where to look for it. Users should not have to put up with such fecal matter, but I guess I'm preaching to the choir, a habit of mine.

Thanks for your comments, tho. Any other assistance will definitely be appreciated.

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

There is an overview in Wikipedia: Digital rights management, although it is US and Europe centric. The DRM laws all stem from the WIPO Copyright Treaty, which means that it will become illegal in many more places over time. The issue of anti-circumvention exemptions (e.g. for personal use) is murky, even inside the US where "fair use" is well established and there is currently an explicit exception for some ebooks (DMCA: Anti-circumvention exemptions).

Thanks, Wallcraft. That's most helpful, and I'll check it out. But unless I see something explicit there I'll remain of the opinion that it is legal for me to remove DRM on files I have bought and use only on my own computer or ebook reader.

Regards, Alex

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by joneall

Now I looked at the Mobipocket site at

http://www.mobipocket.com/en/buy/Ter...sp?Language=EN

and their terms very explicitly state

"You admit and you accept that the product or the service bought is exclusively readable on the PDA corresponding to the PID you registered on the Site at the inscription moment."

I still don't see how that prevents you from removing DRM on ebooks you intend to use on the device which you registered with them. Or if one wants to be really picky the terms do not apply to ereaders other than PDAs.

Regards, Alex

[diana.stout]

I need help. I'm in NO WAY computer literate enough to understand at least 75% of this thread. I have some files, they are called "palm database files" with a .pdb extention. I have a SONY505. I have tried to do the following:

python - mobidedrm - the error it gives me is "invalid PID checksum"
*I was very careful to type everything just the same as I typed it the last time I did this (I took a printscreen of it) - so what am I doing wrong?

python - ereader2html - the error it gives me is "No such file or directory"
*Again, I was very careful to type everything in just the same as the last time I did it, but nothing seems to be working.

I've got 9 files that are these PDB files and I can't get them to work. I've tried using the ABC converter to convert them to HTML so that I can use calibre to conver them to LRF for my sony505 but that just converts them into gobbledegook that I can't read.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me.

[pdurrant]

.pdb files can be almost anything, but if they're ebooks they're /probably/ eReader file.

So eReader2html is what you want. If you're getting "No such file or directory" you're not entering the parameters correctly. Copy the /exact/ command line you're using into a message here, and someone can probably point out your error.

Originally Posted by diana.stout

I need help. I'm in NO WAY computer literate enough to understand at least 75% of this thread. I have some files, they are called "palm database files" with a .pdb extention. I have a SONY505. I have tried to do the following:

python - mobidedrm - the error it gives me is "invalid PID checksum"
*I was very careful to type everything just the same as I typed it the last time I did this (I took a printscreen of it) - so what am I doing wrong?

python - ereader2html - the error it gives me is "No such file or directory"
*Again, I was very careful to type everything in just the same as the last time I did it, but nothing seems to be working.

I've got 9 files that are these PDB files and I can't get them to work. I've tried using the ABC converter to convert them to HTML so that I can use calibre to conver them to LRF for my sony505 but that just converts them into gobbledegook that I can't read.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by diana.stout

I have some files, they are called "palm database files" with a .pdb extention.

There are several ebook file formats with a .pdb extension, see Wiki: PDB for details.

It isn't usual to see MOBI ebooks in a .pdb file, so these are probably not MobiPocket files. If they have DRM, they are probably eReader files (which use a credit card number as their key if that strikes a bell). The easiest way to tell is to open the file with an editor and look for a sting not at the start but near the start (on the 1st line) of the file. If it is an eReader file this will be PNPdPPrs. If so, try reading Ereader2Html and posting in that thread if you have problems. You will need to remember the credit card number used for the DRM though. If it is not an eReader file, let us know what kind it is (i.e. what string you found, and if it is in the wiki's PDB list) for more help.

[Vanquiz]

Hi Guys,

Im totally lost now, I was successfully stripped the DRM from secure mobi before with using mobidedrm v.5, I tried with FW's Free Securemobi Around The World in 80 days.

Today, I just purchased World Without End, then tried to strip the DRM to be put to my 505, it got the Invalid PID Checksum. I can read the file on my PC Mobireader just fine.

Then I redownloaded Around The World in 80 days, it was working fine before, but now it got the same error (Invalid PID Checksum), but I still can read it fine with PC Mobireader.

I double recheck the PID on FW and my PCMobireader, nothing changed, it's the same. I checked with pid_checksum.py, it was correct.

Any help is greatly appreciated, since I just feel like that I was throwing away $18 for World Without End if I cant put it on my 505.

Thank you

EDIT 1 : It suddenly working fine again, I totally have no idea

EDIT 2 : DUHHHH, Finally found the reason, I put spaces on the output file name

Please pardon the noob, this is my second try in stripping DRM.

[diana.stout]

C:\Python25>python.exe ereader2html.py JRWard=LoverAvenged.pdb BOOK/ "Diana Stout" CCNUMBER

error: incorrect ereader version 10 (error 1)

[diana.stout]

I'm not sure why this isn't working. I am to the point where I want to email someone the files and have them fix them for me. But I know, I know, teach a man to fish...

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by diana.stout

error: incorrect ereader version 10 (error 1)

I think this means that the ebook is DRM-free, from eReader File Format:

bytes: 0-2
content: compression
comments: Specifies compression and drm. 2 = palmdoc, 10 = zlib. 260 and 272 = DRM

Unfortunately, it is harder to get a clean format shift of DRM-free eReader than DRM-ridden eReader at present. However, Calibre 6.0 will import DRM-free eReader files and a beta of this is due out soon.