Why is jk rowling against ebooks

Will they finally scrap their proprietary DRM? Many e-book retailers including Sony, Kobo and Nook sell ePub files that have been encrypted with Adobe's DRM, which allows files to be shared across any devices that have the same encyrption system, but restricts readers to a limited number of downloads and devices. Google has tried a more open approach with Google Editions with "Books in the Cloud". By storing e-books online, Google will let readers access their books on any device wherever they are, provided it connects to the web.

Rowling's approach -- where she eschews strict DRM in favour of digital watermarking -- is even more flexible. While strict DRM ensures that you are the rights holder before you can access the content, digital watermarking sometimes known as social DRM simply associates the file to the purchaser.

This means that e-books can be used across any platform, but if they are uploaded to file-sharing websites, the copyright holder should be able to tell which purchaser was responsible although any file-sharer worth their salt would know how to remove such a watermark. The issue that all of this raises is the complete lack of standardisation of digital rights management techniques across the industry -- with many more competitors than we saw in past format battles such as VHS versus Betamax or Blu-Ray versus HD DVD.

As it currently stands, cooperation sounds unlikely. At least two out of the three major platform providers Apple and Amazon have no history of cooperating with others.

In a move that breaks with current practices and could transform the eBook industry, the books are not locked down by encryption, which means consumers can move them between devices and read them anywhere they like, the Associated Press reported. If "Pottermore," takes off, it could be a new way for authors and publishers and get around the almighty lock Amazon.

More from GlobalPost: New J. Since the publication of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the final novel in the original series, Rowling has been gradually expanding the Wizarding World.

Fans scope through the Pottermore website, which is full of supplementary reading materials. Major additions including the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," and the movie prequel series "Fantastic Beasts," have also added to the story.

Could this have worked with any other author? Possibly; Stephen King might have been able to pull it off. The publisher is smart in blazing this trail with a book series they know will be successful digitally.

The problem? Had this seemingly groundbreaking movement begun with traditional publishers ten years ago, right when the digital book revolution was just barely beginning to stir, traditional publishers could have OWNED this industry rather than simply reacting to it. Had traditional publishers taken early risks in digital publishing, it could have resulted in traditional publishers being the leaders in the publishing revolution—rather, they have been placed at the mercy of e book vendors.