Can calibre be used to share ebooks?

[Juani]

Before anyone starts getting angry or ready to lecture please read the following: I have paid for all of my ebooks.

My sister, cousin, and I all like to read. When we find a good book that we like we tell the other two about it. If we have the physical books we can lend to each other without any problems. Unfortunately I am a big e-reader fan and have gotten out of the habit of purchasing physical books when I can just purchase from my kindle or iphone. My cousin is an audiobook fan and although I am not I have listened to "good" books that she has sent me. I am looking for a way to be able to share my ebooks (legally) without the 14 day limit as they both have children,jobs, busy schedules etc. Some books also have the ridiculous one time loan limit. I would like to be able to share with both of them. My sister does not live in the same state but we have shipped physical books back and forth but ebooks would be easier to share. Can calibre be used to share my ebooks to them and if it does can someone tell me how? I have not started with Calibre and wanted to know before I start using it. If it matters I have books that I have purchased through ibooks, amazon, and barnes and nobles. If I was restricted to physical books my purchasing would be considerably reduced. I live at least 30 minutes from the closest book store. When I do go to book stores without a particular book to look for I usually leave without buying anything. I usually get frustrated by either my inability to focus by getting distracted by anything and everything (thanks adhd) or migraines. While I understand author, publishing, etc. point of view on piracy that is not my intention. Thank you!and

[eschwartz]

Well, I don't see any problem with sharing your books with family members.
Amazon actually allows you to link your Kindle account with one other account via the Family Library setting.

calibre can be used to run a Content Server, although in order to access it outside your local WiFi network you will need to set up port forwarding on your router and use a service like DuckDNS.
Also, set a password from within calibre to prevent unauthorized access by non-family -- e.g. random people on the internet pinging random servers and discovering your library.


You will also want to DeDRM your library -- see https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com
Sharing your calibre library with your sister doesn't help much if the books are DRMed to your Kindle (and Kindles use per-device DRM, not even per-account).



P.S. Step away from iBooks. Now.

There is no way to access your iBooks purchases on anything other than an iThing logged into your Apple ID.

All the serious ebook readers avoid the iBooks store like the plague.

[fidvo]

Here are several points to consider, none of which (except the last one) take a moral stand on anything to do with ebooks and sharing.

1. Calibre can save to file, send to device, etc. so in that sense, yes, it can be used to share books because it can turn the books into files that you can give to someone else.

2. You can also use the Content Server to share books over a network and even the internet.

3. Just because you purchased the book legally doesn't give you the legal right to share it. That all depends on the law in your jurisdiction.

4. Most books you purchase from the major retailers will have DRM (Digital Rights Management). Depending on the DRM scheme, merely giving someone a copy of the book file may not be sufficient to allow them to read it. Generally, if you can read the book in Calibre's built-in reader, it means it doesn't have DRM and it can therefore be shared just by giving them a copy of the file.

5. If a book has DRM, Calibre might be able to strip the DRM if you have the right plugin. Look up Apprentice Alf. That is all we're allowed to say on the matter in these forums.

6. DRM is EVIL!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry. I couldn't help myself. I just had to get that out of my system. This is just my opinion, of course.

[pdurrant]

You may share your ebooks with your family members in the ways that the ebooks stores allow - lending ebooks and sharing accounts.

Moderator Notice

'Sharing' your ebooks in other ways is another word for copyright infringement, and must not be encouraged, supported or condoned on MobileRead.

There is a way you can legally share your Kindle ebooks with others. Get a Kindle, register it to your account, and loan the Kindle. The person you loan it to will be able to download any of your books to the Kindle to read.

Of course, they'll also have access to your Amazon account, so you probably won't want to do this with anyone you don't trust completely.

[Dr. Drib]

Here is today's lecture:

The fact that you have paid for your ebooks is fine. Good for you.

However, with Amazon, you are only allowed to share your ebook purchase with ONE OTHER FAMILY MEMBER - not two, which you wish to do. That is not allowed.

Concerning sharing ebooks with family members that you've purchased from Kobo and Apple, you will need to educate yourself concerning the sharing of ebooks from those two sources.


Don
(Moderator)

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

However, with Amazon, you are only allowed to share your ebook purchase with ONE OTHER FAMILY MEMBER - not two, which you wish to do. That is not allowed.

This is not the whole story. One can share fully with another adult account as a 'family library', and add up to four children's accounts in the same household as well.

See the Amazon help page for Family Library

In addition, Amazon are happy for you to loan kindle devices registered to your account to other people, or indeed for you to share your account password with another person so that they can register their Kindle to your account and access your ebooks that way.

See the reply I got in 2012 from Customer Service on this topic here.

Of course, this is completely different to lending out a Kindle loaded up with de-DRMed ebooks. Doing so would definitely be infringement.

[eschwartz]

Dr. Drib, pdurrant -- I see Amazon's Family Library feature more as a vindication of the idea that it isn't intrinsically illegal to share your ebook library with family.
Why would it be legal to share with one family member and not the other?

Which means Family Library is an excellent way to easily share with one family member... but managing it yourself and sharing with two or three family members is equally valid.
Keeping in mind that someone who has DeDRMed their books has an obligation to be responsible about where they end up anyway.

And if the law said you can only share with one family member, I'd say it's just as silly as the one that says you can face criminal charges for DeDRMing for personal use in format-shifting.


And as pdurrant said, you can have attached children's accounts as well.

...

Sometimes families share digital accounts.
I have never yet been arrested for letting my sister come into my bedroom and take one of my pbooks. My family often borrows pbooks from my cousins, and vice versa -- usually around Passover when we visit them. I don't expect to be arrested -- or indeed to be legally in the wrong -- if I let her/them take one of my ebooks as well.

...

Now... my sister happens to be connected to the same Kindle account as me.
But I sideload both our books --DeDRMed of course -- via calibre anyway. Most publisher title metadata sucks horribly.

...

...

I absolutely would not even think of encouraging someone to "share" their ebooks with their friends. That is blatant piracy.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Dr. Drib, pdurrant -- I see Amazon's Family Library feature more as a vindication of the idea that it isn't intrinsically illegal to share your ebook library with family.
Why would it be legal to share with one family member and not the other?

You are getting very close to encouraging piracy, which is forbidden at MobileRead. Keep on pushing the boundary, and you may find yourself suspended.