Posts Tagged "ebooks"
Library of Congress rules on DMCA Fair Use
So the Library of Congress has ruled that jailbreaking an iPhone amounts to fair use under DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) rules. They also ruled on a number of other DRM related issues involving DVDs and eBooks.
While everyone salivates around the iPhone part of the ruling, one specific needed detail was indeed missing from the list – circumventing eBook DRM to convert the text to a format for another device.
Here’s an example:
You own a DRM protected eBook that you bought for your Sony Reader. You later purchase a Kindle. Kindle cannot read the EPUB format that your book is in, but you want to read the ebook on your Kindle. Can you circumvent the DRM in order to convert the ebook to MOBI format? Most license agreements at present say “no.” Amazon’s agreement specifically states that all you own is the right to read the content on the Kindle. You don’t own the book itself.
This is quite unlike a hardback book where you own the physical copy of the book. You bought it and you can do what you want with it. You can give it away, you can sell it, you can even burn it. What you can’t do is photocopy it and redistribute the content.
Ebook licensing ideally should duplicate this model. But at minimum, it needs to allow for law-abiding citizens to be able to crack the DRM in order to read content we purchased on some other device.
A step up from this would include the ability to deal with content from the library. Here’s an example:
My library offers ebooks as PDF, EPUB, and MOBI. But sometimes there are books that are in only one format (let’s say EPUB). I want to read that on my Kindle, but I can’t without circumventing the DRM and converting it to MOBI format, which clearly violates the EULA. But I only want to read it on a different device. I’m not going to strip the DRM and host it on some bit-torrent site or otherwise redistribute it. I just want to read it on an incompatible device.
I am waiting for the Library of Congress to rule on these issues as well, but I won’t hold my breath. It seems that they are more concerned with the iPhone than they are with people who just want to read. In fact, when this story was announced, I could only find one article out of 478 on news.google.com that actually detailed the ebook component of the decision. The vast majority (read: all the others that I searched) only talked about the iPhone, even though ebook text-to-speech circumvention was also part of the decision.
When all e-books are blocked from screen readers or e-reader read aloud functions, and no digital edition is available with such accessibility features.
– from DMCA revised: unlocking, jailbreaking phones, e-book text-to-speech, deemed fair use
Here is the text of the statement: Statement of the Librarian of Congress Relating to Section 1201 Rulemaking
Read MoreAn Introduction to Project Gutenberg
Any serious reader with an ebook device needs to be familiar with Project Gutenberg.
Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts ofpublic domain books. The project tries to make these as free as possible, in long-lasting, open formats that can be used on almost any computer. As of December 2009, Project Gutenberg claimed over 32,000 items in its collection.
Read MoreConverting EPUB files for Kindle
One of the best things that Amazon could do for the Kindle is to support the EPUB format.
The iPad, not being a specialized device, appeals to a broader audience; but serious readers still prefer e-ink to backlight. So that makes the mainstream direct competition the Sony Readers and the Nook. I like Sony’s devices (I own an earlier PRS-500) and the Nook as well, but I much prefer my Kindle. I only wish that it had open support for the EPUB format, which would open up a world of content beyond Amazon.
Read MoreDownload free books from the library for your Kindle
Many public libraries have started to offer ebooks for download by their patrons. Most of these are managed through Overdrive and are offered as PDF, EPUB, and MOBI formats. The DRM is managed in such a way that the ebook expires after a given period of time and after that is no longer readable.
Read More3D Viewing Mode in Google Books
When you read a book, do you want the words to “jump off the page?” Google has announced that it is bringing back its 3D viewing option for Google Books. While I’m not sure that I would use it, I am always a fan of new and cool features (of which this fits the bill).