Amazon is ending a feature that enabled owners of Kindle e-books to strip them of their Digital Rights Management (DRM) and move them onto other devices.
The function known as “Download & Transfer via USB” was developed in the early days of Kindle, which launched in 2007, back when users did not have easy access to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth at all times, and consumers often used cables to transfer documents.
However now that most consumers have ongoing Internet access to their Kindle devices, Amazon is taking more control of the transfer process by requiring that readers go through their cloud-based “Deliver or Remove from Device” option, beginning Feb 26th.
Matthew Sholtz of Android Police wrote:
The thing to remember here is that it is illegal to remove DRM, even for personal use, but that doesn't stop everyone, creating a problem when people do share their cracked files across the web, otherwise known as pirates, and frankly, it's kind of surprising Amazon has left this Download & Transfer via USB feature open for so long. So soon enough, one of the easiest avenues for removing DRM from Kindle e-books will be gone, begging the question of whether this is just the start of a larger crackdown.
Here's the thing though… not everyone who wants to remove DRM from e-books are “pirates.” Some readers just want to send the books that they legitimately purchased to other e-readers — such as ones with physical buttons, older readers with no Internet access, or readers that aren't compatible with Kindle formats.
The Amazon Kindle currently accounts for 70% of the e-book market, and this move further locks readers into their ecosystem.