01-07-2003, 09:00 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Of eBooks, DRM5, cracks and Microsoft
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/28736.html
Recently the form of encryption used by Microsoft to protect .lit ebooks sold by online bookstores such as Amazon.com has been cracked. Several publishers that rely on this encryption, also known as Digital Rights Management level 5, or DRM5 for short, to distribute ebooks.
What I personally find interesting is that hackers took aim at DRM5 as opposed to the encryption method used by Palm Reader. If nothing else, the Palm library has to be larger. They announced this morning they had over 10,000 ebooks in their library. I'd be surprised if there were 1,000 ebooks published in the DRM5 .lit format.
Could it be that Microsoft's form of protection requires that you activate a device and the content then belongs to the device and not the user? Could it be that Palm ebooks are readable on all Windows desktops (98/ME/NT 4.0/2000/XP), Mac desktops (OS 8.6+/10.1+), Palm OS devices and Windows CE devices (Pocket PC, Palm-Sized PC, Handheld PC) which is more convenient, leaving the user to decide where and when to read it. Could it be that users find the protection mandated by Palm, essentially your name and credit card number, easy and reasonable to deal with, allowing you to move your ebook to another platform or device in less time than it takes to read this post, whereas Microsoft's activation technology is such a pain, to the point of rendering your ebook useless, that it was worth the time and trouble to crack it?
I like MS Reader and have some ebooks I have purchased for it, but they are all DRM3 or lower, which means that activation is not required. At some point Microsoft and their publishing partners will treat me like a valued customer rather than a thief when it comes to digital rights management, or they will exit the ebook business due to lack of sales.
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01-07-2003, 09:02 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Re: Of eBooks, DRM5, cracks and Microsoft
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Originally Posted by Ed Hansberry
I like MS Reader and have some ebooks I have purchased for it, but they are all DRM3 or lower, which means that activation is not required. At some point Microsoft and their publishing partners will treat me like a valued customer rather than a thief when it comes to digital rights management, or they will exit the ebook business due to lack of sales.
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The big problem is they'll blame the lack of sales due to "pirates", not that they didn't have a worthwhile business model. :?
--janak
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01-07-2003, 09:03 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 5,133
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Somewhat related...
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01-07-2003, 09:08 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Re: Of eBooks, DRM5, cracks and Microsoft
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
The big problem is they'll blame the lack of sales due to "pirates", not that they didn't have a worthwhile business model. :?
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Of course. :roll:
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01-07-2003, 09:11 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 139
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Come on Ed, don't hold back ... tell us what ya really think! 
__________________
Wes SalmonSoftware Test EngineerMicrosoft Mobile and Embedded Devices
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01-07-2003, 09:34 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 135
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I could really use the program that converts .LIT ebooks. I lost the source for a number of the eBooks that I published early on. Since I'm in the process of updating early works and converting to .PDF as well as .LIT this tool would come in very handy. Don't I have the right to access my own work? :evil:
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01-07-2003, 09:34 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 740
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I recently bought a number of DRM5 MS eBooks. I looked for .lit's specifically because MS Reader comes preinstalled in ROM and didn't want to install anything else.
I don't mind activating a DRM5 title for my device provided I can always reactivate that device if I have to hard reset. Reader doesn't always allow you to do that (reactivate the same device multiple times). I've had the MS Activation site tell me that I have activated too many Pocket PC's with my Passport when they were in fact the same device that had been acting flakey.
Christopher Spera
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01-07-2003, 09:51 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,341
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Wes Salmon
Come on Ed, don't hold back ... tell us what ya really think! |
Come on WES, don't hold back...tell us what YOU really think. :wink: 
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01-07-2003, 09:52 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 94
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The reason they hacked the DRM for .lit files is that you get more "hacker prestige" for hacking a Microsoft product than for hacking a Palm product. Nobody is hacking DRM to make money or steal product right now.
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01-07-2003, 09:59 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 120
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I have certainly voted with my wallet (well, actually my credit card). Electronic books are a major interest of mine and my library includes several hundred purchased books. I almost NEVER buy a physical book for myself anymore, and have started donating my collection to the local library because I prefer the convenience of reading on my IPAQ. I began buying ebooks a few years ago and have experienced the loss of books more than once as companies and their formats have folded. I have a high degree of confidence in the Peanut Press/Palm format and this is the ONLY format I will use for secure titles. I do read ebooks purchased from Fictionwise and Baen books in the .lit format, but only unencrypted books. I have a few (3, to be exact) DRM5 encrypted books laying around and I have been unable to read them for a long time. I exchanged many emails with Microsoft in the early Reader days until it became obvious that they intend to stay on the path they have taken. Given the number of Palm-Sized/Handheld/PocketPC devices that have come and gone at my house, coupled with the inconvenience of remembering and juggling Passports and Activations, the Microsoft mechanisms are unwieldy and quite unappealing.
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Linear Mode
