Touch Kobo books are they truly mine?

[book64]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I don't think so. It is up to the author or publisher to specify DRM or not. But I assume that Amazon apply DRM if not specified.


I assume you have used Kindle for PC to download the books. The file names are meaningless. I just drag sort by timestamp and copy the recent ones to calibre.

Thanks

Do you know how I get them to import with the authors box showing FN then LN? As all my books I import are usually that But kindle now way

So have to edit one by one

[book64]

Can anyone tell me if free kindle books are Drm free?
And how can I quickly tell

Even free Kindle books may have DRM. I don't know if there's a reliable way to tell if a book has DRM. The publisher may state outright that it doesn't have DRM, because it is a selling point. You may also see Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited under the product description, but I don't know if all of those books are DRM free. (If the simultaneous device usage line has restrictions, it will have DRM to manage those restrictions.)

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by book64

Do you know how I get them to import with the authors box showing FN then LN? As all my books I import are usually that But kindle now way

There is an option in the "Adding" book preferences to swap firstname and lastname. But you have to change it depending on what you expect in the books you are adding. If you have a lot of books to change, you can use the bulk metadata edit to change all the names afterwards.

[book64]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

Even free Kindle books may have DRM. I don't know if there's a reliable way to tell if a book has DRM. The publisher may state outright that it doesn't have DRM, because it is a selling point. You may also see Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited under the product description, but I don't know if all of those books are DRM free. (If the simultaneous device usage line has restrictions, it will have DRM to manage those restrictions.)

It gets very confusing as some kobo books are drm free

[book64]

Originally Posted by davidfor

There is an option in the "Adding" book preferences to swap firstname and lastname. But you have to change it depending on what you expect in the books you are adding. If you have a lot of books to change, you can use the bulk metadata edit to change all the names afterwards.

In the Adding book preferences --Don't suppose you know how in a simple way?

Also if I bulk metadata change them if they are different authors it still takes just as long one by one

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by book64

In the Adding book preferences --Don't suppose you know how in a simple way?

There is a plugin called that allows quickly changing the add book preferences. It is called "Quick Preferences" or something like that. I don't use it, but I think you save add preference profiles and then swap them using a menu.

Also if I bulk metadata change them if they are different authors it still takes just as long one by one

As I said, "Bulk metadata edit". Select all the books you want to change and then press the metadata edit button. You will probably need to use the "Search & Replace" tab with a regex. There should be a suitable regex posted in the calibre forum.

[book64]

Originally Posted by davidfor

There is a plugin called that allows quickly changing the add book preferences. It is called "Quick Preferences" or something like that. I don't use it, but I think you save add preference profiles and then swap them using a menu.
.

I did download the Quick Preferences plug in But not sure how to use it

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by book64

I did download the Quick Preferences plug in But not sure how to use it

I don't use it myself, so I can't help. There is a thread in the calibre forum to discuss the plugin. The author is extremely helpful.

[TechniSol]

After reading this thread and letting it all perk a bit through what passes for a brain these days, I'm going back to the original question posed, and maybe considering it a bit more broadly...

Do I own these? Now, according to lawyers and DRM agreements which most people are largely ignorant of, the answer is "No." However, DRM lawyers do not have the final say, law makers and ultimately judges do. The problem then becomes a question for those who must protect the consumer as well as the originators of copyrighted material.

I most assuredly exchanged money, voluta, credits, for something, which was not merely a transient event, to be present at a concert or performance, or for a similar time limited intangible, and did receive a product of sorts, not unlike software, somewhat ethereal in nature, but it does exist. Therefore, I must either possess the rights commensurate with disposal of that property as I see fit, or there was no transaction and I have every right to demand my money back. Further, I was not sold the right to only experience the copyrighted material for a limited time, so they must make it available to me for at least my lifetime... most would say beyond that as it can easily be reproduced or translated to be viable with future technologies and represents a portion of my estate which I may pass on to others as I see fit.

I think the problem is going to come down about the time institutions like libraries have amassed a large collection and then DRM technology changes and they are told their investments are no longer viable and that the publishers or purveyors feel they have no responsibility to convert their collections to a still viable format... to me that is just about the point where the muck will meet the proverbial fan.

It is my position that as a consumer I purchased something with a reasonable expectation that I should have the right to resell it, or retain it, or dispose of it as I might with other property. Further, I should have the continued right to experience my property irrespective of changes in protection methods the copyright holder or his/her assigns might choose to employ... I think it must be legal for me to translate the format of my personal copy of a work in order to maintain my right to what I purchased if technology changes my ability to do so. I'm not saying the consumer should have any right to distribute copies beyond their own other than in such a way that it puts that document beyond their reach as it would by lending a book, etc., but they should have the right to do with their possession as they like. I'll go a step farther and say that legislation should be enacted to prevent copyright holders and their agents, assigns, or partners from changing DRM methods without providing a translation method or copy if they choose to make that format available for sale to others as there is nearly zero physical cost for them to do so as there would be with a physical delivery system like a record or CD. It might only require a consumer to upload their original file to verify their right to own the file and an automated system to return a newly DRM'd copy. If they choose to force the issue by adopting new DRM methods they should pay the freight for customers who have already purchased the material.

Some may disagree, and say that like software, if the technology changes and you want the same use on a new machine you must pay for it as substantial changes must be made for it to operate under a new platform, OS, etc. However, in the case of an ebook the text or work you purchased would remain the same, only the protection method or distribution format might change -you are not asking for translation into a foreign language, etc.

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by book64

Can anyone tell me if free kindle books are Drm free?
And how can I quickly tell

It is quick and easy - On Amazon.com scroll down to the Product Details of a book where it tells you the file size, print length, ASIN, etc, etc. If there is a line there that states: "Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited" that means it is DRM free. If that line isn't there, it means the book has DRM.

Two examples:

The Bet is DRM free.
Six Years has DRM.

[book64]

Originally Posted by l_macd

It is quick and easy - On Amazon.com scroll down to the Product Details of a book where it tells you the file size, print length, ASIN, etc, etc. If there is a line there that states: "Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited" that means it is DRM free. If that line isn't there, it means the book has DRM.

Two examples:

The Bet is DRM free.
Six Years has DRM.

Thanks very much Will make a note of that

[book64]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I don't use it myself, so I can't help. There is a thread in the calibre forum to discuss the plugin. The author is extremely helpful.

Thanks Have looked at that but don't understand it at all
Is there not a simple way lol?
All my calibre library is quite neat

Its just the kindle books that insist in importing with the authors LN FN

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by book64

Thanks Have looked at that but don't understand it at all
Is there not a simple way lol?
All my calibre library is quite neat

Its just the kindle books that insist in importing with the authors LN FN

Well, the point of the Quality Check plugin is to make this sort of thing easier. You need to install the plugin, then use the appropriate option to find all the books that have a problem. In this case, it will be "Check authors with commas" in the "Check metadata" menu. This will find all the books with authors that have a comma in the name. That should be all the books that look like "LN,FN".

Once you have them, select them all and press the metadata edit button. You need to use the "Search and Replace" tab. For both the "Search field" and "Destination field", select "author"and for "Search mode", select "Regular Expression". In "Search for" enter "(.*), (.*)" and in "Replace with" put "\2 \1" (without the quotes). After doing this, the bottom section will show a sample of the books and changes that will be made. If they are correct, press the OK button to make the changes.

That all assume that the authors are actually "LN, FN". You have mentioned "LN FN" without the comma. If that is the case, you need to find the "bad" books some other way. I can't think of any automatic way to do that.