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Association of American Publishers, Microsoft to Join on New E-Book Anti-Piracy Initiative
The Association of American Publishers and Microsoft Corp. have announced plans to work in close collaboration on a broad educational and enforcement initiative to fight e-book piracy.
Microsoft, which is a member of the AAP, is contributing critical technology resources, including new technology to identify illegal content on the Internet, and will provide a significant financial endowment. The announcement coincided with the recent launch of Microsoft(r) Reader for the Windows(r) operating system.The initiative will include an educational Web site that can be found initially at the Microsoft site but that will eventually become part of the AAP Web site.
AAP will begin coordinating the programs and within a year will establish a new committee to oversee education and enforcement efforts. At the outset, the advisory board of the new group will be Pat Schroeder, president and CEO of AAP, and Dick Brass, vice president of Technology Development at Microsoft. Other contributors will be invited to participate as well.
The joint effort will focus on three areas: education, encryption and enforcement. AAP will undertake a broad educational effort to raise public awareness of the value of protecting e-books and other copyrighted electronic material. With the support of Microsoft, AAP will implement programs and services to educate the public, identify copyright violations, notify the appropriate intellectual property owners of violations, and form appropriate partnerships with law-enforcement agencies.
``AAP is delighted to join with Microsoft in this effort that will benefit all the players in the exciting e-book market, including publishers, authors, retailers and consumers,'' Schroeder said. ``Intellectual property is the fastest-growing segment of our economy and our most precious commodity in the global marketplace. What we're really talking about protecting are American jobs and American creativity.''
``With our 25 years of experience in protecting digitized products, we at Microsoft know that piracy is a perpetual challenge that will always require a multifaceted strategy,'' Brass said. ``Piracy is not a question of 'if' but rather 'when.' No technology is immune to it. The key is having a comprehensive plan in place to counter it at every level and minimize the threat.''