E-BookStores offering titles in *.lrf

[RWood]

Originally Posted by NatCh

There is one place I know of besides the ConnStore that offers BBeB (the more generic name for LRF/LRX books): http://www.SteveJordanBooks.com

And they are good reads. I picked up a bunch and enjoyed them very much. They are also the best bargain for LRF books after the MobileRead offerings.

[HarryT]

I agree with you, but we're not talking here about what's right or wrong, but what's legal - there's a tenuous connection at best. All I'm doing is warning people that, depending on where you live, it may not be legal to remove the DRM from LIT files. Armed with that knowledge, you can then make your own decision about whether or not to do it.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by RWood

And they are good reads. I picked up a bunch and enjoyed them very much. They are also the best bargain for LRF books after the MobileRead offerings.

Here here! Very entertaining. Steve is quite an estheticist and paints/writes beautiful portraits/images.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

While it may be illegal (in some countries) to purchase LIT fomat books, break the DRM, and convert to BBeB, but, do you feel it's unethical?

Originally Posted by HarryT

Nope, not at all, but the law doesn't care whether or not it's being ethical when it punishes you . I'd have no qualms at all about doing it personally for a LIT file that I'd bought.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The law and ethics have no bearing on each other. What I want to know is why is it OK to convert CDs to another format, but to do so for an ebook is wrong?

I for one feel it's ok to convert LIT to LRF. And if I want to share said book with my wife, I don't feel that's a problem either. Even Sony allows us to share.

Originally Posted by HarryT

I agree with you, but we're not talking here about what's right or wrong, but what's legal - there's a tenuous connection at best. All I'm doing is warning people that, depending on where you live, it may not be legal to remove the DRM from LIT files. Armed with that knowledge, you can then make your own decision about whether or not to do it.

Hey, guys, we've already got an excellent ethics discussion thread! There's no need to hijack this one!

[JSWolf]

And given that the answer has already been given, does this thread really need to continue?

[Hadrien]

Epub support will change everything for DRM books on the Sony Reader. Epub will be available in many online stores (more choice, available even if you live outside the US), and those files will work on multiple devices (e-ink readers, smartphone, PDA, computer...).

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And given that the answer has already been given, does this thread really need to continue?

You never know when something else useful might come along.

Originally Posted by Hadrien

Epub support will change everything for DRM books on the Sony Reader. Epub will be available in many online stores (more choice, available even if you live outside the US), and those files will work on multiple devices (e-ink readers, smartphone, PDA, computer...).

Oh, may it become so!

I share your optimism on Epub/Digital Editions, Hadrien -- there's so much potential there, I just can't help getting a bit excited about it.

[Hadrien]

Originally Posted by NatCh

I share your optimism on Epub/Digital Editions, Hadrien -- there's so much potential there, I just can't help getting a bit excited about it.

I'll make sure that there's plenty of public domain books available in Epub (all of those available on Feedbooks) before it's even available for the Sony Reader

[Arek_W]

u know I had to read all the posts big time to follow.

So on Polish Law, I even checked this, If I buy an ebook, I am free to do whatever I want with it for "my personal needs" without sharing it outside. Can make copies. This also means I can make a copy of the book in whatever format I want to keep it as buckup. So will convert from *.lit to *.lrf. I talked to friend of mine in Germany and he says same thing, so I guess continent with its law structure will be less punitive toward copyright issues as it is based on the case law (UK & the US). But I am not a lawyer so at the end of the day, this really does not bother me that much especially if I pay for it

On Epub, WHEN????

On Bookstores, still a list would be great, u ppl visit all different places, please share. Last month I read After The Vicorians by AN Wilson, great book about Great Britains history & its lost glory (sorry Harry, we all had our great moments and want to get ebook version of The Victorians.

Therefore my question on bookstores, they are there - all over the place, they do carry different selctions & would be nice to have it in one place.

[MMascaro]

As to books for the sony reader. This site has a collection of pre-formated public domain books. Also try the new Blackmask.com site for other public domain lrf formated books.

Mark
via phone on vacation with over 200 books on a sony reader

[dhbailey]

CDs don't have DRM on them -- and courts in the U.S. at least have ruled that it's alright to convert to a different format for one's own use in a different place where the original format may not be possible, such as making cassette tapes of CDs for listening in the car, and it's alright to record copyrighted broadcast material to view at a different time.

But those do not have DRM encoded in them. The U.S. law makes it very clear that it is illegal to circumvent DRM even if the act of doing so allows you to perform legally allowable acts.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Arek_W

3. what does it take to make them offer *.lrf's (not Connect )

Arek, my best advice would be to contact your favorite e-book sites and tell them you want LRFs! Tell them about the incredible growth of Sony readers, so they know they are missing out on a major market. If they're not stupid, they'll figure it out.

I'm also planning on adding ePub to my list of formats, which I will do after I'm through with my current novel (still due end of summer).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Arek, my best advice would be to contact your favorite e-book sites and tell them you want LRFs! Tell them about the incredible growth of Sony readers, so they know they are missing out on a major market. If they're not stupid, they'll figure it out.

There's no way that the major eBook stores are going to start selling books in LRF format, for the simple reason that it's DRM-free. The best you're going to get is LRX - the DRMed version of LRF.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Well, I didn't specify that it had to be the major bookstores... you never know where people's tastes lie. True, the smaller e-book stores are going to respond to that a lot sooner than the big stores.

But if the Sony Reader proves to be that popular with consumers, LRX sales could become standard. And after this year's music industry attitude adjustment about DRM, that situation might not last forever, and LRX could become LRF in time.

Either way, now's the time to start lobbying for Sony support with all local e-booksellers. Let the LRF come afterward.

[Hadrien]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Well, I didn't specify that it had to be the major bookstores... you never know where people's tastes lie. True, the smaller e-book stores are going to respond to that a lot sooner than the big stores.

But if the Sony Reader proves to be that popular with consumers, LRX sales could become standard. And after this year's music industry attitude adjustment about DRM, that situation might not last forever, and LRX could become LRF in time.

Either way, now's the time to start lobbying for Sony support with all local e-booksellers. Let the LRF come afterward.

Don't expect LRF to become a standard at all. Right now the format that would suit this title the best would be Mobipocket. With the support from Adobe, Sony and Mobipocket/Amazon, the most likely standard will be Epub. Support from these 3 majors players in the industry mean that Epub support will be available on multiple devices (dedicated readers, PDA, Smartphone, Tablet PC...), as an output for the publishers (Adobe InDesign), and on many different online stores (including Amazon).

LRF isn't even trying to become a standard.