I just spent my afternoon in some weird state. I heard about a takedown notice by Amazon on kindle DRM tools , tracked down a link to an excellent overview article, and then momentarily lost my mind. I didn’t download MobiDeDRM.zip. I backed away from the site, and started thinking about how to anonymize my access to it (I know plenty of ways, never fear). All over tools that I simply want in order to backup my Kindle purchases against the possibility of something happening to Amazon! I don’t want to rip the DRM and upload books to Usenet…I don’t want to even give them away to friends. I WANT the authors to get paid; I love authors. I even like publishers, some. *grin*

But on the off chance something happens to Amazon or the DRM service for AZW, I want accessible backups. I really like this Kindle2, and I’m investing in books on it. We’re finally at the edge of something big wrt electronic books, and I’m on the bleeding edge…I don’t want my bookshelves to end up on the bloody side. So after I realized how goofy I was being, I downloaded the damn zipfile (just like I did with the Hymn project’s iTunes cracker years ago). I’m going to crack all my books, stick those files in a couple of my backup repositories, and sleep well at night. Both because my books are safe, and because I’m not doing anything wrong. There’s nothing for me to be afraid of, and I’m ashamed of myself for worrying about it for a couple of hours this afternoon.  My penance will be to re-read the Microsoft Research DRM talk from my (non-DRM’d) copy of Cory Doctorow’s ‘Content‘!

6 thoughts on “MobiDeDRM for Kindle backups

  1. The problem, though is that the people who define what is right and wrong have wrongfully decided that what you're doing is wrong.

    The spirit and intent of what you're doing is in the free and clear, but the process — defeating the DRM — is actually against the law. And you could get into serious trouble for it. You know, if they had any way of knowing that you're doing it. Short of house-raiding Feds — and in that situation, your copied books are the LEAST of our problems — you ought to be just fine. Assuming you're OK with that.

    Don't worry, though; when they come for me, there won't be any record of you having downloaded that zip from my site, so I'll rot in prison for facilitation of crimes against DRM, but you'll be free and clear. Write me letters, please. Send cigarettes.

    Just for the record: the big guys got takedown notices, but I haven't heard a peep.

  2. Jer, thanks for the comment, and thanks very much for hosting . I agree with
    you 100% philosophically over this, and while I wouldn't look forward to
    being the test case on backing up my books by removing the DRM, if Jeff
    Bezos wanted to go there, I guess I'd go there.

    Letters, cigarettes (no cloves, though…they're about to ban those too!),
    AND chocolate will be forthcoming if they put you in the Big House. Never
    fear.

    Again, I really appreciate your comments. I'd meant to subscribe to your
    blog some time ago, and just forgot; I've rectified that. Talk to you again
    soon, hopefully.

  3. I am not sure about any sort of technology that is aimed at beating DRM – i have no issues with amazon making their profits – they brought me low priced ebooks and kindles. Is it not fair that they recoup their ebook investment?

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