Date

Also see http://www.futurebook.net/content/digital-rights-monopoly

The Booksellers Association has spoken out on the issue of e-books, DRM and a healthy marketplace, following the launch of a lawsuit by independent booksellers in the US.

Three US independents have launched a case against Amazon and the six major publishers, claiming the use of DRM on the publishers’ e-books is specifically designed to limit the use of digital content to Kindle devices.

“The vast majority of readers who wish to read an e-book published by the Big Six will purchase the e-book from Amazon,” the filing stated, calling it “unreasonable restraint of trade and commerce in the market for e-books”.

Syd Davies, BA Head of Trade & Industry, said bookshops must have the ability to compete fairly both in physical bookshops and online, but that the BA was pushing for interoperability on e-books rather than challenging DRM itself.

“Customers value the wide range of services high street booksellers provide: they can only continue to do so if bookshops have the ability to compete fairly, both in physical bookshops and online,” he said. “This fairness of competition must include the ability to buy e-books in any format consumers wish and then be able to read that e-book on any device they wish. ‘Interoperability’ is essential to ensure not only freedom of choice now but will also help consumers upgrading to new electronic products in the future.”

Kindle owners have no choice in online retail channels, and if they want to buy an e-book from a bookshop or a website other than Amazon, they are unable to read it on their device, Davies pointed out. “The BA believes that pushing for interoperability, rather than challenging DRM, is the way forward for booksellers,” he said. “Accordingly the BA has held meetings both here in the UK with the OFT and with the European Commission, in conjunction with other bookseller associations in the European Booksellers Federation, and
we are continuing to press the issue.”

Davies said the BA believed it was good for consumers to have lots of different booksellers competing against one another in a marketplace that offered choice, and would be “watching the US case, announced today, with interest”.

– See more at: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/ba-speaks-out-drm.html#sthash.rDUjeEPe.dpuf.