Planet eBook Talks To Copyright Clearance Center

September 18, 2001

Planet eBook speaks to Copyright Clearance Center about eBooks and DRM and previews what it will be demonstrating and the upcoming Planet eBook & DRM Arena at Seybold San Francisco 2001.

What are you going to be exhibiting in the Seybold San Francisco 2001 DRM and E-Books Showcase, and who should go and see you?

We are exhibiting an end-to-end sales, licensing, and protection solution for digital content. Publishers who wish to: a) sell content, b) automate the process for permissioning content and reprints, or c) protect digital content from unauthorized copying or redistribution should come see us.

How does your DRM solution stand out from the others out there?

We are the only solution that can facilitate primary content sales and reuse sales with a document protection component. We also are the only solution that facilitates proactive-sale superdistribution. (i.e., A user can pay up front to distribute content to her colleagues, or she can forward links to the content for free in the traditional superdistribution model -- forcing her colleagues to pay out-of-pocket.)

The world of eBooks and DRM has gone through a year of consolidation, how have you seen the past year and the direction in which it appears to be heading?

The disappearance of investment capital combined with the evaporation of the online advertising market have provided a one-two punch to fledgling software companies serving the publishing community. Sadly, attrition will precede consolidation in this industry. Ironically, the dwindling of the ad dollars that gave publishers the capital to invest in technology will motivate the shift toward more pay-per-use publishing models.

What is the key thing that needs to occur before the widespread adoption of eBooks? A transparent rights management system? Improved display technology? More content? New devices?

All of the above...