Hacks Amazon Kindle Hack: Read DRM-protected Mobipocket content

[CommanderROR]

Great news...and quick too! I don't see any legal issues either so this is a perfect release...

[Barcey]

Well they can't claim that it was an impossible technical hurdle to allow their customer's the choice of purchasing from other online book stores. Great work.

[mrkai]

...but this is a violation of your Kindle's TOS/Usage Terms. Might want to read them

Further, it is perfectly (ahem) legit for Amazon to invalidate everything on the device if used this way, should they choose to do so.

The More You Know™...It's One to Grow On!™

-K

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by mrkai

...but this is a violation of your Kindle's TOS/Usage Terms. Might want to read them

Further, it is perfectly (ahem) legit for Amazon to invalidate everything on the device if used this way, should they choose to do so.

The More You Know™...It's One to Grow On!™

-K

Yes, it is. But since I never agreed to the TOS, it doesn't matter.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by azog

Hadn't considered that. In that case, I guess it's probably not such a good idea. Most mobi sites allow you to have more than one device, but Amazon only allows Kindle content to be read on the Kindle (or multiple Kindles, from what I can discern).

Kindles can also read Mobi files directly, as well as Word DOC and PDF, according to their website.

[mrkai]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Yes, it is. But since I never agreed to the TOS, it doesn't matter.

...is that your explict agreement isn't really necessary is it? Since Amazon can/does/will catalog what is on your (chuckle) gear when its connected to their network (along with what and when you've read, what you've annotated, etc) there really isn't much you can do about it...outside of not using Whispernet.

Such is the World when the assumption is that your customer is a thief,ne?

-K

[mrkai]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Kindles can also read Mobi files directly, as well as Word DOC and PDF, according to their website.

...that DRM's them. Igor's brilliance aims to correct this...oversight. Of course, this is a violation of your Kindle/Amazon TOS and puts you at risk of having Amazon k-line your Kindle "purchases"

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by mrkai

...is that your explict agreement isn't really necessary is it? Since Amazon can/does/will catalog what is on your (chuckle) gear when its connected to their network (along with what and when you've read, what you've annotated, etc) there really isn't much you can do about it...outside of not using Whispernet.

Such is the World when the assumption is that your customer is a thief,ne?

-K

They could do all those things anyway. Why worry about it?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by mrkai

...that DRM's them.

Maybe... within the Kindle. So what? You can import those from your computer, where those files are not DRM'd.

[azog]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Kindles can also read Mobi files directly, as well as Word DOC and PDF, according to their website.

Yes, I've actually already installed a number of non-DRM'ed Mobi books (Treasure Island, a couple of Tom Swifts, and something else). But that's the point: non-DRM. Anything I purchas directly from Mobi is non-readable by the Kindle (assuming that purchase == DRM, but that's not always the case, like with Baen, where you still need to buy the books, but they're apparently non-DRM).

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by mrkai

...but this is a violation of your Kindle's TOS/Usage Terms.

Further, it is perfectly (ahem) legit for Amazon to invalidate everything on the device if used this way, should they choose to do so.

But are the TOS legal, and does Amazon want to go to court to find out? Legal or not, it would be public relations nightmare for Amazon to go after its early adopter customers for this. Far better would be to do what they should have done in the first place - open up the Kindle to DRMed MOBI files. After all, Amazon owns MobiPocket (so they make money either way: MOBI or AZW).

[mrkai]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

But are the TOS legal, and does Amazon want to go to court to find out? Legal or not, it would be public relations nightmare for Amazon to go after its early adopter customers for this. Far better would be to do what they should have done in the first place - open up the Kindle to DRMed MOBI files. After all, Amazon owns MobiPocket (so they make money either way: MOBI or AZW).

...isn't always congruent.

It can be argued (and by some here, pretty much, has been) it is immoral and inethical to buy books from some other bookseller and use on the Kindle, because you are in effect robbing Amazon of potential revenue as the Kindle is designed to only read DRM'd books from the Amazon Kindle Store

It could also be posited that, like AutoDesk and the Autocad "stealers" it would in fact be in Amazon's best interest to nip this in the bud to protect their reseller business by making "examples" out of these interlopers by k-lining their Kindle and severing the relationship.

Sticky, sticky, sticky

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by mrkai

It can be argued (and by some here, pretty much, has been) it is immoral and inethical to buy books from some other bookseller and use on the Kindle, because you are in effect robbing Amazon of potential revenue as the Kindle is designed to only read DRM'd books from the Amazon Kindle Store

I suppose this might be true if Amazon gave me a Kindle for free. If Amazon is loosing money at $400 it is news to me. I certainly did not agree to buy a single AZW e-book as part of the deal. The copyright owners are happy to sell me a DRMed MOBI, and explicitly give me permission to read it on the Kindle (based on the Kindle PID I provide). Amazon says that a device that I paid $400 for must not be used to read an e-book which I legally own and legally have permission to read on the Kindle. Laws are strange things, but it is normally understood that, once purchased, stuff can be used for purposes other than those it was designed for. Note that there is no "theft" here. I buy a MOBI book with real money and a Kindle with real money, I don't violate copyright (no fair use exception needed - I have the permission of the copyright holder to do what I am doing). Amazon might make more or less money on the deal if I buy a AZW version vs a MOBI version (hard to say from the outside), the publisher and author gets the same amount either way.

[mrkai]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

I suppose this might be true if Amazon gave me a Kindle for free. If Amazon is loosing money at $400 it is news to me. I certainly did not agree to buy a single AZW e-book as part of the deal. The copyright owners are happy to sell me a DRMed MOBI, and explicitly give me permission to read it on the Kindle (based on the Kindle PID I provide). Amazon says that a device that I paid $400 for must not be used to read an e-book which I legally own and legally have permission to read on the Kindle. Laws are strange things, but it is normally understood that, once purchased, stuff can be used for purposes other than those it was designed for. Note that there is no "theft" here. I buy a MOBI book with real money and a Kindle with real money, I don't violate copyright (no fair use exception needed - I have the permission of the copyright holder to do what I am doing). Amazon might make more or less money on the deal if I buy a AZW version vs a MOBI version (hard to say from the outside), the publisher and author gets the same amount either way.

While everything you said is perfectly rational, it isn't really relevant

You see, by making a copy of this book from one format to another, you have violated copyright...as stupid as that is, because the rights holder hasn't given you permission to do this.

Further, you don't get to define the terms of your Amazon Kindle usage...Amazon does.

This is a very real example of the perils of a system that decides that because you might give away what you paid for, what you can do with what you licensed (you didn't buy anything, really according to the terms of your...purchase) you are already on the grey side, strolling dark.

if Amazon sells a copy of the book you already bought from somewhere else, and you make a copy of said book to view on the Kindle...you are a violator. Is the original still around in the original format? Hrm. Now you have "two books" but you only bought one.

See? If Amazon sells the book in question you are supposed to buy it from them. If they do not and it is encrypted, you do NOT have the "right" to use it on the Kindle...even tho you "own" both of these things

And according to some of the publishers and authors that frequent here, this is *perfectly sane and fair to them* because you could in theory give one of those copies to someone else somehow instead of having bought a copy for them, and you, because you can copy the kindlized one to the kindle to read, and read the other copy in mobipocket.

Yay Team!

[mrkai]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

They could do all those things anyway. Why worry about it?

...your "rights" as they were, can be superceded and undone by their "rights".

Amazon can decide that this usage of the Kindle is a violation and decide that you no longer get to read these books or any you "bought" from them on your Kindle anymore.

But I guess if people are fine with this sort of thing...rock on