Amazon and DRM changes

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Hi, Jon. Thanks for checking that out.

Kindle First Reads is a free purchase. But after that, if you want any of the other books for free, that can be had on KU (no idea if any would be on Prime). So pick the eBook (sometimes Amazon gives you two) you want most and even if you don't plan on reading it now, it's not against your principles to convert it to ePub and read on a Kobo.

The way I look at it, eBooks that can be had via D&T are fair game.I don't see this as

I've future proofed (I hope) against the Android loophole someday closing by obtaining a Kindle Touch. I have tested it with an eBook on Prime that cannot be had via D&T and it worked. I obtained a KF8 file and was able to remove the DRM. I did return it and deleted the copies I had as I wasn't going to be reading it.

One question I have about KU/Prime eBooks. If I remove the DRM, make some edits to the CSS, and copy all the files I got from my KT with the eBook and placed it on my PW3 and read it there, would I still be allowing the author to get paid as long as I turned on WiFi when I was done?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

One question I have about KU/Prime eBooks. If I remove the DRM, make some edits to the CSS, and copy all the files I got from my KT with the eBook and placed it on my PW3 and read it there, would I still be allowing the author to get paid as long as I turned on WiFi when I was done?

Probably not as it would really be a sideloaded book.
Just get it by "Whispernet" on the PW3. I.e. WiFi & sync.

Really I think Kindles can only be used with no WiFi ever if you never use KU/Prime and only use bought or PD books.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Probably not as it would really be a sideloaded book.
Just get it by "Whispernet" on the PW3. I.e. WiFi & sync.

Really I think Kindles can only be used with no WiFi ever if you never use KU/Prime and only use bought or PD books.

Can't sync to the PW3. I do not want KFX. I cannot use the feature of ChareInk6SP to reduce the line height. I cannot edit the CSS to remove the excessive L/R margins. Basically, KFX does not work for me.

But would it act like a side loaded eBook? given that the support files would still be there? The only thing I would change is the CSS. I would not touch the HTML. I would not add in soft hyphens. But it would be readable.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But would it act like a side loaded eBook? given that the support files would still be there? The only thing I would change is the CSS. I would not touch the HTML. I would not add in soft hyphens. But it would be readable.

Amazon keeps track of which specific devices a book has been sent to. It is doubtful they would count pages read using the procedure you described.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Amazon keeps track of which specific devices a book has been sent to. It is doubtful they would count pages read using the procedure you described.

So if it's sent to both devices, would it work if I then removed it from the PW3 and used the copy from the KT?

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So if it's sent to both devices, would it work if I then removed it from the PW3 and used the copy from the KT?

It might or it might not. There is no way to know for certain. The measures that Amazon has in place to prevent scammers from getting undeserved page reads are unknown.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So if it's sent to both devices, would it work if I then removed it from the PW3 and used the copy from the KT?

I suspect not. I'd suspect they'd only count pages read in the version delivered direct. The same book with DRM removed and in azw3 rather than KFX delivered by Amazon wouldn't be the same book, for them.

But if you buy the ebook and don't use Borrow, then it doesn't matter. Also actual library borrows don't have KU issues. It was the wrong solution to a problem Amazon created because they won't pay in advance for library copies, like proper libraries and they won't human curate the content for suitability. It's a system designed to maximise Amazon earnings.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

One question I have about KU/Prime eBooks. If I remove the DRM, make some edits to the CSS, and copy all the files I got from my KT with the eBook and placed it on my PW3 and read it there, would I still be allowing the author to get paid as long as I turned on WiFi when I was done?

Unfortunately that is not the case. Amazon would know you did not download the KU book to your PW3. You can test it this way:

1. download KU book to both KT and PW3
2. extract AZW3 from KT, deDRM, no editing, leave meta data alone
3. connect PW3 to calibre, remove the KFX book, upload the DRM free AZW3
4. make sure your PW3 still thinks that the book you have still has a KU label
5. attempt to return the book from your PW3
6. sync both KT and PW3, see if book disappeared (if it is, then success)

If that worked, try again with a different book, but modify the book a little bit. See if the PW3 is still spoofed to think the replaced AZW3 file is from KU. I don't believe the extra files are necessary, if they are, the PW3 should automatically download them or regenerate them.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Unfortunately that is not the case. Amazon would know you did not download the KU book to your PW3. You can test it this way:

1. download KU book to both KT and PW3
2. extract AZW3 from KT, deDRM, no editing, leave meta data alone
3. connect PW3 to calibre, remove the KFX book, upload the DRM free AZW3
4. make sure your PW3 still thinks that the book you have still has a KU label
5. attempt to return the book from your PW3
6. sync both KT and PW3, see if book disappeared (if it is, then success)

If that worked, try again with a different book, but modify the book a little bit. See if the PW3 is still spoofed to think the replaced AZW3 file is from KU. I don't believe the extra files are necessary, if they are, the PW3 should automatically download them or regenerate them.

I like your ideas. I'll give it a go and see how I get on.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I like your ideas. I'll give it a go and see how I get on.

I have an update for you, appears to work just fine. I tried it with a PW1 and Oasis3, instead of KT and PW3. And it doesn't appear to complain that the images are missing either. So, downloaded to both devices, on the Oasis3 obviously in KFX. Then pulled the AZW3 (with missing images) out of PW1, deDRMed, connect Oasis3 to calibre, delete KFX book, upload the AZW3. Oasis3 is still convinced it has the correct file, can be returned to KU. Will disappear on the PW1 as well.

All looks good, should be even better when pulling the complete book out of the KT.

[lkmiller]

If you flip somewhere in the middle of the replaced book and sync, does the unmodified book on the other kindle get synced to the same page?

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

If you flip somewhere in the middle of the replaced book and sync, does the unmodified book on the other kindle get synced to the same page?

Just tried, and yes, it syncs. At least on devices that allow syncing (my KT while it should work to sync, the sync to furthest page is always greyed out). If you put the AZW3 on the PW3 before you have downloaded the KFX files, it will delete those on the next sync and replace them with the KFX files. But if you connect to calibre, delete the KFX files there again and replace with AZW3, then it works and stays AZW3. I flipped to the middle on two books, synced, and then proceeded to download them fresh on a different Kindle, it got the KFX files there and automatically synced them up to the progress from the DRM free AZW3. The locations are exactly the same, so if you want sync to work correctly, you should leave the book alone and only modify the css.

Important to remember: always download the KFX files first before switcherooing them with the AZW3.

ETA: in my content it does show that the books in question are on 3 devices, even after the switch to AZW3 and sync afterwards. The DRM free AZW3 also deletes correctly if book is returned from elsewhere or deleted from the device from content page.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

The download and transfer via USB:
It works for every eink Kindle (including the Scribe, except those too old to understand KF8, I think)

It worked for the older e-ink kindles too. You just got a mobi (which could be decrypted). Don't know what might be happening now that Amazon seems to be leaving the mobi format behind.

Direct download over WIFI to the device:
This is an unrestricted loophole that only gives KF8 (in a AZW3 file) for eink Kindles older than a PW1 (5th gen), but not too old and it needs a FW update to understand KF8 (e.g. the original KT or a KK3).

I thought the Kindle Touch handled KF8 from the beginning. At any rate, its last firmware version is definitely in the handles KF8, not KFX range.

On the PW1 you get a split file as AZW3 (has only the cover image in B/W) plus a AZW6 (this has all other images, also in B/W).

Do all the AZW3 files downloaded to a PW1 have their images split into an AZW6 file? Or just image heavy ones?

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

It worked for the older e-ink kindles too. You just got a mobi (which could be decrypted). Don't know what might be happening now that Amazon seems to be leaving the mobi format behind.

I thought the Kindle Touch handled KF8 from the beginning. At any rate, its last firmware version is definitely in the handles KF8, not KFX range.

Do all the AZW3 files downloaded to a PW1 have their images split into an AZW6 file? Or just image heavy ones?

All books are split on PW1.*

Yes, correct, the KT handles KF8 from the beginning, but it falls into the category that it doesn't need a higher FW. If you are good with Mobi, you can use older, and there is some fringe cases to get a KFX that can get their DRM removed. To include everything would have been much more confusing. So KF8 in a single file for simplicity it was.

*I have seen one that had no images, other than the cover, thumbnail, and a small Facebook and Twitter logo. It was still split, the logos were missing from the AZW3.

[lkmiller]

DuckieTigger,

Yes, KF8 (no azw6) is the format I prefer to get since my aim is to convert to epub. Purchased books that is.

Thanks for your investigations into the KU stuff. That falls into more trouble than its worth for me, but I like knowing the possibilities. I'll just read KU books as is myself though.