Kindle DRM Hacked

Happen to live in an anti-DRM household like mine? Has Amazon’s DRMed books on the Kindle kept you from jumping on the ebook bandwagon? If so, you’ll be happy to hear that hackers have provided us with a Christmas present in the form of a circumvention of the Kindle for PC digital rights management locks.

Amazon’s DRM ensures that purchased ebooks can only be viewed on the Kindle or using Kindle for PC. The hack (requiring a couple of downloaded files and a few easy-to-follow instructions) converts the AZW files to PDF files that can be viewed on any device and not just those sold by Amazon. Voila: an ebook that is truly portable.

Ethics, of course, require that you purchase the ebook from Amazon and then strip the DRM. As with any case of removing DRM, there is an argument made about an increase in piracy and the revenue for the original artist. I’m of the opinion that quality should and does get rewarded–if you like a book/album/movie, you buy it or seek out other ways to support the artist. Right?

You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

[I <3 Cabbages via OhGizmo!]