Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%
Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.
Authors, Agents and Publishers Seek to Carve Out Their Rights in Electronic-Book Formats
Three recent announcements involving electronic publishing sent ripples through the publishing industry. The first was Amazon's announcement that its sales of e-book units exceeded its sales of hardcovers by the second quarter of 2010, a trend that has reportedly continued. Although comparative sales figures do not present a complete picture, it is clear that gateway companies ' such as Amazon, Apple, Sony and Barnes & Noble that sell both e-books and proprietary e-book reading devices ' are enlarging their share of the publishing marketplace. (This article refers to them as “Digital Distributors,” even though “distributor” can be a misnomer; see below.)
The second recent announcement was that Odyssey Books, the new publishing arm of The Wylie Agency, agreed to make 20 titles available in electronic form, including modern classics by A-list authors and their estates that The Wylie Agency represents, exclusively for a two-year term through Amazon's Kindle Store. This approach bypassed not only the traditional conduits of literary works ' book publishers ' but also every Digital Distributor but one. Even physical bookstores reportedly were excluded from selling some of the books, which would only be available in Odyssey electronic editions. (See, “Celebrated Authors Bypass Publishing House to Sell ebooks via Amazon” by Alison Flood, guardian.co.uk, July 22, 2010.)
This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only
ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THE SINGLE SOURCE OF OBJECTIVE LEGAL ANALYSIS, PRACTICAL INSIGHTS, AND NEWS IN ENTERTAINMENT LAW.
- Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
- Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
- Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts
Already a have an account? Sign In Now Log In Now
For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It
Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later
The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.
A Lawyer's System for Active Reading
Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.
Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent Trolls
With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.