epub DRM?!

[ecookman]

I just purchased a book collection from itunes with gift cards. ha good idea right? no. The .epub files contain DRM so I can not open the ebook on the software i want to read my ebook with....Any ideas on how to remove the DRM or is that illegal and I have to suck it up and use a ireader of some sort.

[ProgrammingFun]

ecookman @ Thu Dec 29, 2011 7:54 pm wrote:

I just purchased a book collection from itunes with gift cards. ha good idea right? no. The .epub files contain DRM so I can not open the ebook on the software i want to read my ebook with....Any ideas on how to remove the DRM or is that illegal and I have to suck it up and use a ireader of some sort.

Suck up...or download pirated copy of ebook.

[ecookman]

mmmm in this case I guess a pirated copy would be ok since I have bought it. Re-buying it just seems like buying the same book twice because some of the pages are stuck together. Still though I wish Itunes would allow returns >->

[DemonWasp]

This board doesn't officially endorse removing DRM (even if I do), so I won't link directly here. I will, however, say that if you used Google a bit I think you'd find at least one tool that would jailbreak your broken product.

Don't forget to look before you buy next time. DRM that prevents you from using your product in any reasonable fashion is unacceptable.

[ProgrammingFun]

Jailbreaking is approved by the Library of Congress so shouldn't it be allowed to be linked on this forum?

Also, it's pretty lame that iTunes doesn't let you read ebooks on your computer.

[Tony]

Jailbreaking had been approved in U.S. for mobile phones. It wasn't tested if the same will be held for other locked devices. Also, that wouldn't necessary help with the DRM'ed files.

ProgrammingFun @ Fri Dec 30, 2011 9:48 am wrote:

Also, it's pretty lame that iTunes doesn't let you read ebooks on your computer.

Amazon Kindle yo.

[md]

ecookman @ 2011-12-29, 10:56 pm wrote:

mmmm in this case I guess a pirated copy would be ok since I have bought it. Re-buying it just seems like buying the same book twice because some of the pages are stuck together. Still though I wish Itunes would allow returns >->

You bought a licence to use the work in a particular way. Pirating another copy is definitely illegal in most countries.

Quote:

Jailbreaking is approved by the Library of Congress so shouldn't it be allowed to be linked on this forum?

Jailbreaking is not the same as removing DRM. Breaking DRM is firmly within the area deemed illegal. Also note that the Library of Congress has no say what's legal in Canada

Quote:

Amazon Kindle yo.

Still has DRM, even if it isn't quite as onerous.

Next time pirate first, anything else and you're getting shafted. If you *do* see a book without DRM and you like it then buy it. If you don't like it email the author/publisher and tell them that you support DRM free products and see if they have any other titles available that you are interested in.

[RandomLetters]

You bought it, do whatever you want with it. The law should serve society, not some big corporation.

[Tony]

md @ Fri Dec 30, 2011 9:53 pm wrote:

Quote:

Amazon Kindle yo.

Still has DRM, even if it isn't quite as onerous.

Fair enough. I was addressing the "read ebooks on your computer" point, and Kindle app comes in Windows, Mac, iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows Phone 7, and BlackBerry flavours. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_ipad_mkt_lnd?docId=1000493771 There is also a "Kindle Cloud Reader" for app-free in-browser reading, and obviously actual Kindle devices.

Though yes, the content is still DRMed and still "licensed".

RandomLetters @ Fri Dec 30, 2011 10:25 pm wrote:

You bought it, do whatever you want with it. The law should serve society, not some big corporation.

As md points out, he bought "a license". It's not exactly clear just how enforceable the terms are though. And as ideal as "serve society" idea might be... it just so happens that big corporations have a lot more influence over the law-making processes.

[mirhagk]

The issue of DRM in Canada is completely different then the states. Canada has a policy that copyright laws are made for 2 reason:
1. So that organized crime can't make a lot of money off of pirated stuff (ie back alley selling of dvds)
2. So that a company can't steal someone else's ideas and sell them.
Yes currently our copyright laws *technically* make pirating books/movies/games illegal, as well as breaking DRM, prominent representatives in the Canadian legal system have said that they really don't care about the average joe pirating, and they care even less about the average joe jailbreaking, or breaking DRM so that they can use it properly. anti-DRM basically only exists in case a big company figures out a way to profit from breaking the DRM of another company.

And Tony, big corporations do NOT have as much influence as the masses. No matter how much money a big corporation can donate (which isn't very much due to legal reasons, and workarounds can end up with both parties in prison), they still only get one vote per person. Winning the election is a lot more important then having sufficient funds. Popularity buys more happiness then money.

[Tony]

mirhagk @ Sat Dec 31, 2011 12:01 pm wrote:

big corporation ... still only get one vote per person.

Sure, but MP's single vote carries a lot more weight right now than your single vote towards electing a different MP in the future.

Though you are right, when the public masses hit the streets and media in opposition, an unpopular bill concedes. Unfortunately the population is typically apathetic about most issues.

[mirhagk]

So then it's not the big corporations who have the most influence, it's just that not everyone else agrees with those few outspoken citizens. Most either don't care, or realize the benefits of the bill being passed.

[Tony]

I'm sure that it wasn't "few outspoken citizens" that proposed the DRM bills and convinced the government to pass them.

[mirhagk]

No, it wasn't. And that' isn't what I said. In fact I would have suggested the opposite. Mostly bills that are passed are opposed by a few loud outspoken citizens, who always cry that big corporations control everything. Nearly every bill that has been passed has had opposers, and it's a common occurrence for them to cry out that the power of this country needs to rest in the hands of the people. Problem is, it does rest in the hands of the people, just most people think the bill won't affect them, or they agree with it. There has been plenty of cases where a company tries to pass a law, and it gets shut down because of the people. CRTC recently tried to pass a law that allowed bell to smaller ISP's at a per-GB rate, and while I'm unsure of the exact result, I know that Harper said if it got passed by the CRTC, he would try to shut it down.

See, the government works for the people, and even though the taxes of the people don't directly pay the government (big corporations income tax is a lot more than the average joe), the people being content makes them more willing to buy things, which ends up making everyone richer (well except when that money is wasted, but that's beside the point)

[randint]

The most effective way to remove DRM on a EQUB File or PDF file is this:
1. Go to http://calibre-ebook.com/download to download Calibre, install the software
2. Go to http://www.datafilehost.com/download-4a2f247e.html to download the tools, extract the content to somewhere
3. Open Calibre, Click on "Preferences", select "Change calibre behaviour", "Advanced", "Plugins", "Load Plugin From File" Browse to the Extracted Folder, Go into Calibre_Plugins, Add all the *.zip files into the software, then, depending on what type of file it is, you may need some customisation. After that, import the DRM protected books into the Calibre GUI and they will be un-DRM-ed.
Read this article, it might help you.
http://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/ebooks-formats-drm-and-you-%E2%80%94-a-guide-for-the-perplexed/