Amazon is making it a lot tougher to take away DRM from Kindle books

Sometimes, when Amazon releases a Kindle update, it introduces new options or enhances the system ultimately. For instance, earlier within the yr, Amazon added new text spacing options for e-books to its Kindle e-readers, a brand new Assistive Reader software, and a larger font setting for the consumer interface. Nonetheless, plainly with the most recent Kindle replace, Amazon has centered on locking down its Kindle e-readers much more, somewhat than enhancing them.

In keeping with Good E Reader, Amazon’s newest firmware replace (model 5.18.5) for its eleventh and Twelfth-generation Kindle e-readers, the Kindle Colorsoft, and the Kindle Scribe, has added a brand new DRM system that makes it even tougher for Kindle customers to again up any of their e-books.

The existence of a brand new DRM system was first found on the MobileRead group discussion board, with a lead developer of a Kindle jailbreak methodology reportedly stating that the brand new DRM system employs an “account secret” saved in an “inaccessible location” on Kindle e-readers, which is used to unlock the encryption of an e-book while you go to learn it.

To take away the brand new DRM methodology, you’d have to achieve entry to the brand new storage location of this account secret, which is simply potential if a Kindle system was jailbroken earlier than the replace. What this implies for Kindle fans is that connecting your Kindle to a PC or Mac and backing up a Kindle e-book you have just lately bought and downloaded utilizing DRM removing instruments, and storing it in an e-book administration app like Calibre, is now practically inconceivable.

The replace impacts nearly all of Kindle e-books

Earlier this yr, Amazon made it tougher to again up your Kindle library to your PC

The brand new DRM system seems to have an effect on most newly downloaded e-books bought from Amazon’s Kindle Retailer, whatever the date of publication or the date of buy. Reportedly, the brand new DRM just isn’t utilized in just one occasion: when the writer has requested it not be used. In such circumstances, the e-book’s Kindle Retailer web page will show “Simultaneous system utilization: Limitless” underneath product particulars.

In keeping with a consumer on the MobileRead forums, they discovered it was “inconceivable to take away the DRM from 99% of the ebooks” they’d bought from Amazon. So should you’re a Kindle fanatic who often backs up your books onto your PC, the most recent replace will undoubtedly have an effect on your means to do this.

It comes as no shock that Amazon is locking down its Kindle e-readers much more. Earlier this yr, Amazon controversially removed the ability to make use of the “Obtain and Switch by way of USB” choice for its Kindle e-readers, making it even tougher for folks to again up e-books they’ve bought and probably change to a different e-reader model, corresponding to Kobo.

Moreover, after this replace was launched, customers started encountering an Invalid ASIN error when trying to open an e-book that had been sideloaded or transferred by way of the Kindle e-mail system. Contemplating a brand new DRM system appears to be in impact now, I ponder if that is what triggered the Invalid ASIN error within the first place, however that is completely hypothesis on my half. Amazon has stated that it is investigating the Invalid ASIN error customers are experiencing, and you’ll learn extra about it in one other Pocket-lint story here.

In case your Kindle is not set to routinely replace, then the brand new DRM system should not have an effect on your e-reader. Nonetheless, be warned that if it updates to five.18.5 or later, backing up e-books you have just lately bought and downloaded will change into much more difficult than it already is.