DRM and AZW files

[Acousticvillage]

Hi all. I have downloaded just about everything I can find on this subject. Hoever, hopefully with your help I can clear something up for good....

I can strip the DRM off books I have bought and downloaded to kindle.

However, is it possible to strip the drm off a book that was given to me? My friend in Canada sent me a book by Andrea Stuart called "Sugar in the blood". It is drm'd in azw format. My friend had bought the book from amazon UK store but travels a lot.

I can't open it in Calibre and I cannot convert it to Mobi or epub (so I could read it on my nexus 7).

Can we use the same un-drm tools for books that we did not personally buy and download - e.g. gifts from someone - and if so, is there a link I could go to?
I have tried to use all the python tools, calibre plugins, etc, but to no avail.

Hope you can help
Jim

[ixtab]

Originally Posted by Acousticvillage

Hi all. I have downloaded just about everything I can find on this subject. Hoever, hopefully with your help I can clear something up for good....

I can strip the DRM off books I have bought and downloaded to kindle.

However, is it possible to strip the drm off a book that was given to me? My friend in Canada sent me a book by Andrea Stuart called "Sugar in the blood". It is drm'd in azw format. My friend had bought the book from amazon UK store but travels a lot.

I can't open it in Calibre and I cannot convert it to Mobi or epub (so I could read it on my nexus 7).

Can we use the same un-drm tools for books that we did not personally buy and download - e.g. gifts from someone - and if so, is there a link I could go to?
I have tried to use all the python tools, calibre plugins, etc, but to no avail.

Hope you can help
Jim

Short answer: no.

Technical answer: no, because DRM is an encryption. You need the correct key (IIRC, it's derived from the serial number of the Kindle that the book is "tied to") to decrypt the book.

Legal answer: no. This is piracy. De-DRM'ing books that you own is illegal, but morally justifiable. De-DRM'ing books that you don't own is plain illegal, period.

Edit: No, I'm not a fan of Digital Restrictions Management. At all. But that doesn't change the facts...

[HarryT]

Moderator Notice
We will not permit MobileRead forums to be used to request assistance with pirated books. Any repeat of this will result in an immediate ban.

[crescere]

Harry, are you a moderator? Your profile does not mention it. If not why not mind your own business?

[ixtab]

Originally Posted by crescere

Harry, are you a moderator? Your profile does not mention it. If not why not mind your own business?

Errm... in your opinion... why is HarryT's name shown in green, as opposed to others, and why is he able to post "moderator notices"?

Originally Posted by crescere

Harry, are you a moderator? Your profile does not mention it. If not why not mind your own business?

You are really new here with only 14 posts so you should probably tread lightly less they ban you! In case you are too stupid to understand why DRM instructions are forbidden here, it is because they do not want to be threatened with legal action by the company(ies) using the DRM. Not to mention the fact that a lot of the members here publish books and would not like for cheapskates to start sharing them all over the internet.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by crescere

Harry, are you a moderator? Your profile does not mention it. If not why not mind your own business?

The general rudeness that you exhibit in your post here is welcome in very few places, but this is not one of those places. There are places in this world where respect and honor are paramount, and such remarks in such places would risk much more than just getting banned in a forum.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by crescere

Harry, are you a moderator? Your profile does not mention it. If not why not mind your own business?

Moderators have green names.

[crescere]

In my experience moderators usually have the word “moderator” under their name. That is why I asked him if he is a moderator. If you had all read my post you would have seen that. Why should I be at risk for getting banned from a forum for merely expressing my opinion and asking a question? I am interested in the DRM topic and I wanted to read more about it. If members were discussing how to commit terrorism I can certainly see why they would be banned and silenced, but this is hardly on that level.

In a free society people should be allowed to discuss almost any topic. Certainly they should be advised that removing DRM in some instances is wrong, but I cannot imagine many scenarios where ignorance of any topic is good. I am an American where we have a Constitution and free speech. I guess I should be more aware that the rest of the world does not have the same view of freedom as I.

Thank you all for your comments. I withdraw from the thread.

[spindlegirl]

We're allowed to discuss how disgusting and offensive (or wonderful and lovely, if you're into that kind of thing ) DRM is, but we're not allowed to assist with DRM removal other than a vague mention of Apprentice Alf.

I do most of my buying (except freebies) of DRM-free content. Yes, it's disgusting that a BOOK has restrictions on how you can store it and manipulate it, but this is one of the few things the guidelines state explicitly we are not to elaborate on the how-tos.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by crescere

In my experience moderators usually have the word “moderator” under their name. That is why I asked him if he is a moderator. If you had all read my post you would have seen that. Why should I be at risk for getting banned from a forum for merely expressing my opinion and asking a question? I am interested in the DRM topic and I wanted to read more about it. If members were discussing how to commit terrorism I can certainly see why they would be banned and silenced, but this is hardly on that level.

In a free society people should be allowed to discuss almost any topic. Certainly they should be advised that removing DRM in some instances is wrong, but I cannot imagine many scenarios where ignorance of any topic is good. I am an American where we have a Constitution and free speech. I guess I should be more aware that the rest of the world does not have the same view of freedom as I.

Thank you all for your comments. I withdraw from the thread.

Yes, us Americans do love to think that we have more freedom than anywhere else in the world (despite much evidence to the contrary). But that is no excuse for being a rude boy in front of a global audience, where it is easy for people to think that your bad example is typical of other Americans as well. You should be kind and helpful and show respect and courtesy to others in this forum (and elsewhere).

It is not necessary to withdraw from this thread (unless you are not able to participate in a civilized discussion without making rude comments).

[ixtab]

Originally Posted by crescere

In my experience moderators usually have the word “moderator” under their name. That is why I asked him if he is a moderator. If you had all read my post you would have seen that. Why should I be at risk for getting banned from a forum for merely expressing my opinion and asking a question? I am interested in the DRM topic and I wanted to read more about it. If members were discussing how to commit terrorism I can certainly see why they would be banned and silenced, but this is hardly on that level.

In a free society people should be allowed to discuss almost any topic. Certainly they should be advised that removing DRM in some instances is wrong, but I cannot imagine many scenarios where ignorance of any topic is good. I am an American where we have a Constitution and free speech. I guess I should be more aware that the rest of the world does not have the same view of freedom as I.

Thank you all for your comments. I withdraw from the thread.

... not just rude and disrespectful, but complacent and arrogant as well. Thanks for the vivid demonstration.

EOT for me too.

Edit: @geekmaster: thanks. I hesitated to write what you stated, because I would have immediately been declared an ignorant european anti-american

[crescere]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

Yes, us Americans do love to think that we have more freedom than anywhere else in the world (despite much evidence to the contrary).

Yes you have me there especially with our current administration.

I was upset because I saw Harry as someone who comes in to the room when I am watching TV, and just as the movie is good they change the channel. I did not know that he was enforcing a preexisting rule.

Has anyone ever tested if this forum can be closed because of disclosure on how to eliminate DRM? Have you been told by authorities that this will definitely happen? Who? Does the rule have any teeth? Is it really enforceable against an internet forum? If so what has this world come to where people are not free to have open discussions. In the former Soviet Union this was common, but on the Internet? That is very unfortunate.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by crescere

Yes you have me there especially with our current administration.

I was upset because I saw Harry as someone who comes in to the room when I am watching TV, and just as the movie is good they change the channel. I did not know that he was enforcing a preexisting rule.

Has anyone ever tested if this forum can be closed because of disclosure on how to eliminate DRM? Have you been told by authorities that this will definitely happen? Who? Does the rule have any teeth? Is it really enforceable against an internet forum? If so what has this world come to where people are not free to have open discussions. In the former Soviet Union this was common, but on the Internet? That is very unfortunate.

Some moderators here ARE publishers.

[copyrite]

Originally Posted by crescere

If not why not mind your own business?

There's no need to be rude.

Did you even bother to look and see that the person who spoke had nearly 49k posts?

Originally Posted by crescere

In a free society people should be allowed to discuss almost any topic. Certainly they should be advised that removing DRM in some instances is wrong, but I cannot imagine many scenarios where ignorance of any topic is good. I am an American where we have a Constitution and free speech. I guess I should be more aware that the rest of the world does not have the same view of freedom as I.

Visiting any forum on the Internet is like going into someone's home, in the U.S. or any other country in the world for that matter. If you hate polkadots and someone comes into your home and says they want to talk about polkadots and you say you hate polkadots, they should know to cease and desist such a discussion. Clearly it's not a subject to be discussed here.

Originally Posted by crescere

Has anyone ever tested if this forum can be closed because of disclosure on how to eliminate DRM? Have you been told by authorities that this will definitely happen? Who? Does the rule have any teeth? Is it really enforceable against an internet forum? If so what has this world come to where people are not free to have open discussions. In the former Soviet Union this was common, but on the Internet? That is very unfortunate.

Google is your friend. I guarantee there's plenty of places where you can find active discussions of DRM, just not here.

No, I'm not a moderator here, but I've been there and bought the t-shirt on other sites in the past and find internet communications not worthy of raising my blood pressure. Yours either.