In the spirit of giving, hackers have claimed success in cracking copyright protections on Amazon's Kindle eReader, allowing eBooks to be exported to other devices.
The eBooks will take the form of a pdf file, allowing it to be easily shared around the Kindle community and other file supporting devices.
Israeli hacker Labba is taking the kudos for this hack, after responding to a challenge on hacking forum: hacking.org.
US hacker i♥cabbages has also created a programme dubbed "Unswindle" (yes, rhymes with Kindle"¦) that converts books stored in the Kindle for PC app into a different file format for use elsewhere.
Kindle for PC allows customers to buy books to read on their PCs without having to purchase a Kindle reader.
Amazon doesn't enforce Digital Rights Management (DRM ) on its books, but allows individual publishers to decide if they want to protect their eBook. Books in the main proprietary format .azw have not been able to be used on other devices. Until now of course.
DRM on the Kindle has been contentious since its implementation, with rights holders arguing that its necessary to protect copyright, while consumers feel restricted with regards to how they can use the content.
The Kindle has been hugely popular since its US release in 2007. Amazon has predicted that it will have sold a million devices by the end of this year.
Amazon's Kindle hacks are just the latest in a long line of "in your face DRM" attacks. Copyright protection on DVDs was hacked back in 1999, and a few years later copyright protection on iTunes was also broken, leading Apple to start offering DRM-free tunes.
Do hacked eBooks tempt you to dig out your wallet for a Kindle? Leave us a comment and let us know.
6 thoughts on “Amazon Kindle Copyright Hacked: PDF Books Up for Grabs”
Nope,
I still prefer paper books.
I’d still use ye olde paperbacks most of the time, but I do see the benefits of the Kindle for traveling. Still haven’t invested in one myself though which says something…
I’ve personally bought 4 Kindle-2’s since my husband was given one by a colleague (four are still on our account). I was also just given a Kindle Fire by my DH! However I have never downloaded a hacked book. Lots of free ones (thanks J.A. and all) but never a stolen one. I respect authors too much; let each of them come to his or her own conclusion in own time regarding the wisdom (or lack thereof) of the current copyright system.
So it didn’t take illicit hacked books to dig out our wallet; Kindle 2 is the best thing ever to happen for reading and keeping books and documents available while traveling and handy at home!