Converting MobiPocket content

[Dr. Drib]

I'm curious about the MobiPocket format, becasue I'm interested in a Cybook Gen3:

Specifically, I don't care for breaks between paragraphs. Is it the Mobipocket format that does this?

Thanks,
Don

[Robert Marquard]

It is the way Mobipocket renders the HTML.

[HarryT]

There's absolutely nothing inherent in the MobiPocket format which requires blank lines between paragraphs - if a book has them, the creator has put them there.

Take a look at some of the MobiPocket books in the Baen "Free Library" using the free MobiPocket Desktop Reader. You'll find that some books separate paragraphs with blank lines; others indent paragraphs and don't have blank lines. It's entirely down to the way they were created.

[delphidb96]

That clears up a lot. Thanks.

Unfortunately, the way the laws are written, everyone who breaks DRM could be charged with a crime, IMO.

Now as for those who upload, I actually agree with them to a certain extent. Yes, I believe those who do so ARE breaking the law, but I also see some of them taking the same stance as our own Boston Tea Party attendees, striking a blow for unconscionable, excessively punitive and poorly written laws as well as overly restrictive DRM add-ons. I must say that I'm torn on this issue.

Derek

Originally Posted by HarryT

Hi Derek,

I think you might have slightly misunderstood me.

It is people who upload copyrighted material onto the internet who I regard as criminals who should be persued with the full force of the law. They are the ones who I was referring to when I stated that they are using sophistry in claiming the moral high ground for their criminal acts.

I have absolutely no issues whatsoever with circumventing DRM on books which one has legally purchased. In fact, I think it's absolutely ridiculous that this should be illegal. We just need to be aware, however, that it is technically illegal in some countries, including the UK and (probably) the US too. I suspect, though, that one is vanishingly unlikely to get into trouble for it provided it is done on books one has bought and the results used strictly personally.

Hope that clarifies my views.

[astra]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I would love to see is a device that has a 16-shade vizplex screen, 10" screen with high enough resolution to read PDF, support for Digital Editions, MobiPocket, and BBeB as well as HTML, text, chm and full RTF (images and links) support. I think that would give us a device that would keep us going for a long time to come.

Dreams....

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I'm curious about the MobiPocket format, becasue I'm interested in a Cybook Gen3:

Specifically, I don't care for breaks between paragraphs. Is it the Mobipocket format that does this?

Thanks,
Don

eReader format books definitely have that space since most readers of that format use a small PDA to read.

[cherdman]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

...In fact the price makes it worse. More expensive.

I'm not sure why you think that.

http://paperbackdigital.com/

You just have to look. (if anything the Mobipocket version might average a nickel or dime more, but in many cases the Mobipocket version is cheaper).

[HarryT]

The MobiPocket Desktop Reader lets you look in a dozen or so different eBook stores; you'll find that prices vary widely between stores. Certainly not a general case of MobiPocket books being more or less expensive than Connect books, as far as I'm aware.

[slayda]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Unfortunately, the way the laws are written, everyone who breaks DRM could be charged with a crime, IMO.

I have a, perhaps, syntax question on the "breaking" of DRM. I would assume that some software, that you could run that would read a DRMed ebook in and output some form of non-DRMed text/graphics, is definitely "breaking" DRM.

My question is, "Would using a legally purchased and registered on-screen reader of the DRMed ebook and an on-screen capture that was then put through OCR be technically considered as "breaking" DRM?" Or is that just nit picking legalese?

[delphidb96]

I would assume so. Your intent would be to extract the text and images for your own use - minus the usage control of DRM - and the US laws are so vague about this that such an action could be construed as 'breaking' the DRM and 'stealing' the intellectual content.

And it's danged hard to 'prove' you had no intention of selling or giving away the 'broken' content, said burden of proof being on your shoulders these days.

Derek

Originally Posted by slayda

I have a, perhaps, syntax question on the "breaking" of DRM. I would assume that some software, that you could run that would read a DRMed ebook in and output some form of non-DRMed text/graphics, is definitely "breaking" DRM.

My question is, "Would using a legally purchased and registered on-screen reader of the DRMed ebook and an on-screen capture that was then put through OCR be technically considered as "breaking" DRM?" Or is that just nit picking legalese?

[dietric]

To me it comes down to this: If I legally aquired something that is crippled by DRM and I remove the DRM because it prevents me from displaying it on the hardware of my choice, I would consider that fair use, no matter what the Digital Millenium act has to say about this. There is a distinction between what the law is and what's ethically defensible.

[_Sin]

I have no ethical problem in stripping the DRM from my Mobipocket books, so that I can read them on my Sony Reader. I would imagine that the companies concerned would not attempt to sue me over such personal use as the publicity generated would almost certainly do them much more harm than good - and ultimately they'd just be stopping me from buying books and/or reading them.

I can understand why companies feel the need for DRM, and I acknowledge that if the tools to remove it were more widespread then there would also be more widespread copying of the books. However I wish there were some kind of co-operation at the publisher level so that someone who buys a book in one format can get a license to the same book in others. That's not going to work at a practical level in most cases though - too many people trying to make money from being a middle-man.

There is also an element, however, of companies trying to lock consumers in to a particular hard product rather than just protect themselves from copyright theft - and I think that's more ethically dubious than a consumer stripping DRM for their own use.

[rjnagle]

Hey, you guys are really missing the point about Cybook/mobipocket.

The big advantage this implementation offers is for content creators. Mobipocket is open to just about any author/publisher who wants to upload their ebook. Yes, mobipocket takes their cut (I think it's 40%) and the contracts have their restrictions, but it's unlike Sony or Fictionwise where you have to go through hoops just to get your content listed.

The only other distributor positioned to take advantage of independent publishing is Lulu, but they only let you upload .doc and .pdf's.

I asked them about .epub uploads on this thread. http://www.lulu.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=72973 (No reply so far).

My reason for buying the Cybook is not for the better features (although that is certainly a plus) but the wider availability of content, most of which began as ebooks.

I find it hard to believe that ebooks offered by lone authors would be more expensive than typical books. For the first time in a long time, we have a level playing field in publising.

[_Sin]

Originally Posted by rjnagle

Hey, you guys are really missing the point about Cybook/mobipocket.

The big advantage this implementation offers is for content creators. Mobipocket is open to just about any author/publisher who wants to upload their ebook. Yes, mobipocket takes their cut (I think it's 40%) and the contracts have their restrictions, but it's unlike Sony or Fictionwise where you have to go through hoops just to get your content listed.

The only other distributor positioned to take advantage of independent publishing is Lulu, but they only let you upload .doc and .pdf's.

I asked them about .epub uploads on this thread. http://www.lulu.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=72973 (No reply so far).

My reason for buying the Cybook is not for the better features (although that is certainly a plus) but the wider availability of content, most of which began as ebooks.

I find it hard to believe that ebooks offered by lone authors would be more expensive than typical books. For the first time in a long time, we have a level playing field in publising.

There is nothing stopping anyone from releasing content in a large variety of formats anyone can read (RTF or HTML would be fine for most purposes), the only "advantage" mobipocket has is the DRM... IMHO fixing the publishing model would include getting away from the big retailers (online or otherwise) controlling the market and taking a cut.

In other words authors shouldn't need to have their books available on Connect or Mobipocket where the DRM is to protect the store owner (and hardware manufacturer) more than the author.

You may think you have a level playing field, but to us consumers it seems like there are multiple playing fields all surrounded by barbed wire fences and guard dogs - which can't be good for audience attendance figures.

[rjnagle]

i agree 100% with your sentiment.

However, a number of authors view books in terms of sales. mobipocket is a very attractive solution to them..

I don't know if the agreement for mobipocket creator software (or the command line utility) allows you to sell unencrypted mobipocket files.

given the current backlash against drm, i have to wonder whether amazon/mobipocket would want unencrypted mobipocket files competing against their online stores.