using Kindle PID with Mobipocket DRM books

[Gwen Morse]

I'm sorry if this was asked elsewhere (I'm sure it probably has been but I haven't seen it poking through this board).

I'm considering some DRMed books on Fictionwise, and one option is to provide a Mobipocket PID (for mobi format).

I have a Kindle 2, can I use that PID? If I do, can I read .mobi DRM files on the Kindle 2 as long as the Kindle 2's PID was used (by that I mean, do I have to rename them to AZW)?

If I do want to strip the DRM (to read it in my Android phone) can I then strip it with the same script I use to strip DRM from my AZW books in Calibre?

I read somewhere that the Mobi PID needs a different symbol in it than the Kindle PID (one has a "*" and one has a "$", IIRC) and I'm wondering how true that is and how much impact it has on using the books on two different devices...

Gwen

[wallcraft]

The Kindle PID won't work at FictionWise. If you have a Windows PC, just install MobiPocket Reader and use its PID.

The same mobidedrm.py script will work with FictionWise MOBIs, but you need to give it the PID you provided to FictionWise.

A single MOBI ebook can include 4 PIDs, so it is possible to read it on multiple devices without circumventing its DRM. However, all MobiPocket software development seems to have ceased - so there will never be an official MOBI reader for Android or any other modern phone O/S.

[Gwen Morse]

That was a fast answer. Thanks.

Phooey. I'll have to check my PC Mobi reader PID to buy the books I want. I'm glad the MobiDeDRM script will still work, though. I suppose I'll have to read up on using the multi-PID version .

I did find a Mobi reader that supports Mobi DRM. It's called "iReader". It's in the Marketplace and I'm using it right now to read some DRM-free Mobi books I bought at Fictionwise. I did pay 2 bucks for the app. I figured it was cheap enough to be able to read the same exact ebooks on my Kindle 2 and my phone. I'm having enough trouble figuring out how to get multiple formats of the same ebooks organized in Calibre, never mind worrying about maintaining two sets of ebooks (epub and mobi).

Again, thanks for the answer. If you have an Android yourself, check out the app.

Gwen

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Gwen Morse

I did find a Mobi reader that supports Mobi DRM. It's called "iReader".

This is an unauthorized Reader, in other words it is circumventing the DRM without a license from MobiPocket. If it was authorized, it would give you the device's PID rather than accepting any PID. This isn't necessarily a reason not to use it, but MobiPocket (Amazon) could close them down at any time (and the authors could face federal charges in the US).

FBReaderJ will read DRM-free MOBI ebooks. Like most Open Source Readers, it takes the position that you are in charge of stripping DRM and then it will display the resulting DRM-free ebook.

[Gwen Morse]

!##$

This DRM issue is driving me up the wall. It's not your fault and (again) I appreciate the speedy explanation.

I'm not a fan of DRM (it's fair to say I hate it with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns). I bought my Kindle 2 knowing the DRM on their ebooks had been cracked.

I found my login info for Fictionwise and decided to check the account. Yep, it's still there. My old purchases happen to all be DRM-free books. There were some new books I was flirting with getting, that are DRM-only. So, I thought I'd put them in my cart and sleep on it overnight. I could use a Mobipocket PID or eReader PID to secure them with my shiny new iReader software. So, instead I get to find out that the software that allows me to read DRM books is ITSELF violating some sort of law.

I wasn't aware FBreaderJ supported mobi format books. When I first downloaded it, it didn't, and I've only ever used it with epub books. I literally haven't bothered to try it on mobi format books all this time. Thanks for the pointer. It gets me back on track . Now all I need is for Calibre to add book merging and I'll be in eBook heaven.

Gwen

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Gwen Morse

So, instead I get to find out that the software that allows me to read DRM books is ITSELF violating some sort of law.

It (probably - never been tested in court) isn't illegal in the US for you to use the software on ebooks you bought, but it is illegal for anyone to write the DRM circumvention software in the first place. This is a Catch-22 that luckily has not prevented the software from being written, in part because the US isn't the World and in part because anonymity is still possible on the Internet.

There appear to be a lot of forum members who routinely strip the DRM from their ebooks as soon as they buy them. It makes life easier in the long run, because DRM always ends up being a hassle in the end - much more hassle than working out how to circumvent the DRM.

[Gwen Morse]

I strip the DRM from my own books. I've been reading ebooks for close to two decades and I've learned my lesson about letting DRM interfere with my collections.

I was making a point of following the rules, having found what I thought was a solution (ereader software that would legally allow me to read DRM books on my android phone) only to find out the authors broke the law writing it. I'm going to keep the app, I think the authors deserve the two dollars and I like having a way to read eReader books (if I need it).

But, in the end, I'll mostly stick with .mobi format with the DRM stripped away. I can read it on my Kindle and on my Android. I love the app and I didn't realize it read Mobi format (mainly because the startup message hasn't been updated to include it).

I installed MobiPocketReader and I found the PID, so I should be set for shopping at Fictionwise. The suggestion of using FBReaderJ and using the Mobi desktop software for the PID were both extremely appreciated.

Gwen