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Jon Noring’s appeal for a universal consumer-level format for e-books is getting around. Why, it’s even being translated into Italian. No surprise. This undoubtedly is the most important e-book-related article that you’ll read in ’03.

Alas, some in the e-book biz still don’t get it. Gasp, there’s talk that standards could threaten business models.

Jon and I have another take on this. Lack of standards would be a lot more lethal to the prosperity of the e-book industry. Worry less about the welfare of companies dependent on the proprietary approach and more about the business as a whole.

And remember the best kind of competition in e-books. Content-related. Proprietary standards enforced by big boys such as Microsoft and Adobe will harm publishers of all sizes. Let the real fight be over the most gripping plots and fascinating characters, or the most essential insights, as opposed to: “Who’s done the best business deal?”

Especially I’d encourage people outside the States to speak up. And don’t just talk about “VHS-vs.-Beta times ten.” Do something. Tell others about the Noring article and have it translated into still more languages. I’ve suggested to Glenn Sanders, publisher of eBookWeb, where Jon’s article came out, that the site link to translations as they appear. Net activities could be just the start. I myself would rather not see government regulate e-book formats, but in the States and elsewhere, this could be a useful way to force the OeBF to do what it promised five years ago. So tell your politicians about Jon’s piece. Here’s in the States, of course, the big angle is proprietary formats vs. accessibility for the disabled.

Pesky reminder: Italy is the home of Mario Monti, the European Union’s most fearsome trust buster, who demolished GE’s plans for expansion. I wonder if he or colleagues just might find some regulatory angles. Again I’d much rather see the industry clean up this mess on its own. But pressure won’t hurt. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the EU or a similar body presented the OeBF–the dominant standards organization within e-bookdom–with a deadline?

 
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