Han Zhengzhi, Chief Editor of Shanghai Jiaotong University Press, said that the press has some unwritten rules for e-book publications. For instance, no dictionaries are published in electronic formats, as it is easy to pirate them. Exercise books are published three months after paper books for fear that the exercises will be spread over the Internet, jeopardizing sales of paper books.

Intellectual property right protection is always a concern. With the popularization of the Internet and the further development of e-business, digitalization is an irreversible trend. However, the lack of relative laws and regulations and the need for solid industry standards are the biggest problems hindering the development of the industry.

Analysts explain that it is possible to protect copyrights on the Internet with proper intellectual property right rules and regulations. In 1998, the United States adopted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which says that any act to decode copyrighted technology is a violation of the law. The DMCA has also defined copyright management information to protect the author, and also clarifies the conditions for reproducing the work, as well as the copyright's period of validity. That information allows users to contact the author and ask for usage permission. It also helps with the detection of copyright infringements. The DMCA gives digital publication and distribution legal guarantees.

Currently, the Chinese digital publishing industry lags far behind in this respect. Many insiders claim that it is urgent to create new and effective copyright protection policies. "We are producing portable reader equipment, but we cannot produce an e-book lawfully. The only reason is because the copyright problem has not been resolved," said a manager of an IT company in a meeting held before the first Chinese Digital Publishing Exposition

Finding a format

For the time being, ineffective copyright protection may restrict the sustainable development of electronic libraries or even the entire online publishing industry.

Additionally, the development of the digital publishing industry relies heavily on the standardization of e-book formats.

In China, there are various e-book formats. For instance, there is the "CEB" format of Peking University Founder Group, "WOLF' of Tianjin Jinke Co. Ltd., as well as the "OPZ" format for Singapore-based E-Book System's Flip Viewer technology. A lack of standardization means that users must acquire different software to read e-books published by different presses, which adds to the users' costs.

Insiders note that the most widely accepted format in the world is the PDF (Portable Document Format), which also supports XML. PDF is a pure content storage format.

Most believe that even though the country has not standardized the e-book format, all formats should at least guarantee that every e-book has the same output interface, which insures a pure XML output format. The advantage of XML is that it easily allows for printing.

Analysts say that only when data are standardized can production costs be cut. A standardized format, they say, will help the digital publishing industry develop in a fast and sound way.

Apart from these problems, the imperfect industrial chain is another concern. In the digital publishing industry, the writer and the press are sources of content. Digital libraries and online e-book stores are distribution channels. Computers, cell phones and software are tools that serve the users. Therefore, the writer, the press, the library, online bookstores, technology providers, software makers and readers form the whole industrial chain of digital publishing.

Chen Fang, Deputy General Manager of Sursen Co., ad-paper and e-paper technological company, said that there are a lot of misunderstandings about the e-book industrial chain at this stage.

"Everyone seems to be concerned of his own business and has no idea of others' opinions," he said. 'Take the technology provider for example. As a professional force to support e-book publishers and online distributors, it should be devoted to the research and development of digital publication technology and provide the publishers with the most advanced technology. Many of the IT companies in China are already capable of providing all kinds of technology, products and services that the industry needs. But due to the lack of communication and cooperation, the technology companies not only have to serve as data manufacturers and technology developers, but also have to participate in the content integration of e-books as well as the distribution. The result is that much of the effort made by other links of the chain is wasted."

Potential solutions

In order to promote the sound development of China's digital publishing industry, GAPP is trying its best to break down hurdles that block digital publishing.

The first Chinese Digital Publishing Exposition, sponsored by GAPP, is scheduled to be held in July this year in Beijing. One of the major topics of discussion is how Chinese presses transform from traditional publishers to digital publishers. The operation and profit modes of digital publishing are great concerns. The forum will discuss solutions for presses that face problems when they try to launch digital publishing business.

Another concern is shaping and enacting relevant laws to protect copyrights. The Internet Copyright Administrative Protection Measures issued on April 30 and put into effect May 30 is just the beginning.

Tao Xinliang, professor with the Intellectual Property School of Shanghai University, noted that under current copyright laws and other regulations, copyrights on the Internet lack comprehensive protection. The implementation of the new regulation fills in the gap and perfects some of the existing provisions. Tao believes that the regulation will be a positive thing for the Internet industry and the whole information service industry, and that it will be conducive to the standardization and legalization of Internet copyrights.

But Tao also noted that the industry can't expect too much from the regulation, as it is just an administrative regulation issued by a ministry under the State Council, which is not a legislative body. It is mainly concerned with administrative content and scope, not the civil rights or interests in a legal sense. Essentially, the new regulation lacks legal validity. Tao is calling for more effective and high-quality regulations to be issued as soon as possible.

The GAPP recently noted that two other regulations concerning Internet copyright protection have been sent to the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council for its consideration.