Reading an E-Book Soon a Reality for NZers

News Release

For immediate release
6 October 2009

Reading an E-Book Soon a Reality for New Zealanders

Copyright Licensing Ltd has formed a venture to digitise New Zealand books and make them available to the New Zealand reading public on new digital reading devices, including ebook readers and smartphones, Apple's iPhone and the forthcoming Google Android phones.

Thirty publishers have already submitted more than 300 of New Zealand's most renowned books to include in the project.

CLL, the non-profit copyright collective representing book publishers and authors, will be seeking rights from publishers and authors to digitise further works which would be made available under licence to libraries, booksellers and the educational sector.

CLL’s Chairman, Chris Else, Chairman said they had been looking for ways to develop an infrastructure that would assist in the development of digital publishing in New Zealand.

‘The digitisation of books is one of the most exciting business opportunities the publishing industry has seen and New Zealand must embrace it in order to move forward.’

CLL has formed the venture in conjunction with Digital Strategies Limited and InfoGrid Pacific Pte Limited following on from the formation of the Digital Publishing Forum last year. Forum Director Martin Taylor will manage the new venture through his company Digital Strategies Limited

The proposed public launch of the project will be in the second quarter of 2010.

‘The project is scheduled to run for 12 months before being developed further. Its goal is to see a significant percentage of New Zealanders reading books digitally in the next two years.

‘Our plan is to use some of New Zealand’s great works as ebooks to encourage companies like Sony, Asus and others to enter the New Zealand market early and help to grow it," Mr Taylor said.

InfoGrid Pacific Pte Limited will provide the XML publishing and distribution platform required to digitise and distribute the works.

CLL is a non-profit copyright collective that provides centralised licensing services for the reproduction of extracts from published works and looks after the interests of publishers and authors in New Zealand.

ENDS