Amazon’s DMCA takedown of KindleID script hints at dark future for Mobipocket format
As I’m lying in my hospital bed, recovering from the surgery on my leg, I came across a story on Amazon’s recent action in asking that Mobileread take down information relating to the Python scripts for putting other vendors’ books on the Kindle. I noticed David Rothman’s piece on it a couple of days ago, though given that it was the day of the surgery I was not exactly in the best condition to give it much attention at the time.
But now that a few more articles have come out, a few more days have passed, and I am thinking more clearly now that I am emerging from a haze of painkillers, I would like to set down my own thoughts about this decision, what it entails, and how I feel it fits in with my predictions of Amazon’s future behavior.
The script was fairly harmless in and of itself. All that it did was turn the serial number of the Kindle into a Mobipocket “Device ID” that could be used in e-book stores like Fictionwise or BooksOnBoard to buy Mobi books for the Kindle as if it were any other Mobipocket-compatible device.
In fact, the removal of the KindleID script mainly harms people who are trying to do the “right thing” by retaining the DRM on the DRM-locked books that they buy. Stripping the DRM would actually be simpler, and would allow their use on not only the Kindle but on any other device (such as an iPhone) that has compatible reading software.
(Of course, the Kindle’s device ID could be used to strip the DRM from downloaded Kindle books in the same way—but Amazon did not go after the de-DRMing script which would actually be used for that purpose, which has also been prominently mentioned on MobileRead.)
So, Amazon is saying that it does not want people reading books they buy elsewhere on the Kindle. Amazon wants to be the only Kindle bookstore. Of course, Amazon can’t control unencrypted books, such as Baen Webscriptions—but if they’re DRM-locked, the DMCA comes into play.
The odd thing is that since Amazon actually owns Mobipocket, who owns and licenses the Mobipocket encryption to these other stores, Amazon is saying that it does not want its right hand to know what its left hand is doing—or at least, it does not want its right hand to be able to read the books that its left hand wrote.
So, let’s review. Amazon has “embraced and extended” the Mobipocket format so that the Kindle is not compatible with other Mobi-DRM-selling stores without the aid of certain Python scripts. It has DMCA’d those Python scripts, indicating in no uncertain terms this was no accident.
Amazon has apparently prevented Mobipocket from releasing an official, Mobi-DRM-compatible client for the iPhone—while it has itself released a Kindle-DRM-compatible client for the iPhone.
Amazon owns both its Kindle-DRM, and (through its subsidiary) everybody else’s Mobi-DRM. Amazon has already shown it does not want Mobi-DRM being read on its Kindle hardwae platform. It has begun to expand beyond that hardware platform into other hardware platforms (the iPhone is only the first) that already have their own e-book apps.
I think that, as a format for DRM-protected e-publishing, Mobipocket’s day is basically done. Just as with iPhone, I do not expect to see Mobipocket apps released for Android, or the Palm Pre, or any of the other new platforms that people are asking about on the Mobipocket forums. I don’t expect to see much further maintenance of Mobipocket apps for existing platforms. I do expect to see (Mobi-incompatible) Amazon Kindle clients come out for all of them.
I expect Amazon will weasel out of renewing the Mobi DRM contracts with Overdrive and other such licensees just as soon as it reasonably can (if it can) without inciting anti-trust scrutiny. And given how widespread the Mobipocket format is in stores that use encryption, and given the print publishing industry’s widespread insistence on encryption, if this happens it could be a major blow to non-Amazon e-book stores.
In short, based on past behavior, I expect to see Amazon doing its best to leverage its massive library to try to become the go-to e-book store on every platform—and to shove out the stores that are already in those market spaces. After all, more people reading Kindle books are more people likely to buy hardware Kindle readers in the future to work with the library they’ve already bought.
March 14th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Before the release of the Kindle 2 there were some musings around about the possibility of epub support on the Kindle – I thought at the time that this (like so many other features people were hoping for) was just wishful thinking.
Now I’d go so far as to say, epub on the Kindle is definitely not going to happen.
That doesn’t worry me of itself (I’m unlikely to ever own a Kindle) but the effect on the wider uptake of epub is a concern. Amazon and the Kindle get disproportionate media coverage – the general public is probably unaware of the other devices (and formats – if they even think about formats) available.
If Amazon fails to support epub (or in fact, actively works against it as it seems to be doing with mobi), this could have an effect of slowing the uptake of epub across the market.
Amazon have at least a 2 year head start on ease of use – they’ve solved the problem of getting content onto an ereader; this is such a big deal that the technical abilities and philosophical issues surrounding other formats and readers count for little in the wider market. They don’t really even need to be playing these DRM games but by doing so demonstrate an active agenda against other formats and readers.
March 14th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Amazon can take this step if it wishes. But the fact of the matter is that only in the U.S. are e-book buyers being influenced by Amazon and the Kindle. ePub is becoming a dominant format worldwide, due to its inherent flexibility… and there are a lot of devices besides the Kindle (and even the iPhone) to read e-books on, most of which read multiple formats.
Any attempt on Amazon’s part to dominate the market will only result in just another device in a multi-device market, as there will always be plenty of non-Amazon content, and plenty of non-Amazon readers. If Amazon thinks it can keep its content off of other readers, it doesn’t know the digital realm very well.
March 15th, 2009 at 8:16 am
My thoughts on what this says about the Kindle business model – http://www.di2.nu/200903/15.htm
March 15th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Chris – Amazon’s recent DMCA notice does indeed indicate that they are trying for lock-in. This is exactly the same thing they did with third party POD. Amazon wants it all and won’t play nice with anyone else.
rjh – about “disproportionate media coverage”, I see it even here on Teleread. Sometimes it seems like there is no other ebook reader on the planet but the Kindle. I’m sure Bezos loves the press.
March 17th, 2009 at 11:20 am
I agree with the scenario above…but I see a big flaw in Amazon’s model…
The Kindle might be the #1 device in the US, but it’s not even released in the EU yet and so far there are only runours whether it ever will be. Now, while the Us is a big market, books are not as popular there as they are in good-old-europe, and here it seems the ePub format is growing very strong very quickly.
The Sony Reader is starting to pop up all over Europe and even here in Germany bookshops like Thalia are starting to seel ebooks…in ePub format.
This is going to be like the HD-DVD vs. BluRay fiasco…and it sure is going to be interesting, however, I think with Amazon making enemies out of it’s paying customers this one will be over even quicker than the DVD-successor game…at least I hope so.
So far I was always a great supporter of Amazon, but the moves they have been making in the last months are just too much…the have become too large and too lofty, they deserve a fall…and a painful one!