Current developments in setting standards for rights & licensing and sales metadata

10:20 to 11:05 a.m.
Gold I

Parallel to the growing business of e-books and digital content, the importance of standards for the communication of digital rights & licensing information increases rapidly – especially in the context of new and more complex digital and international trade relationships.

First, e-book market players need standard definitions of the e-book rights under contract. To whom, where and in what format may a retailer sell digital content? What are the limitations in its use?

Secondly, it is equally important to define a standard for the communication of sales information which is provided by the retailer back to the publisher, so accounting and reporting of sales can effectively be improved. What titles have been sold in what format to whom? Under what licensing agreement?

It is crucial to all e-book market participants that standards for digital rights & license information, and for sales metadata are developed and agreed upon in the near future. This panel will take a critical look at the development of these standards and explore the impact of their implementation on publishers´ workflow and communication.

The Speakers

Sebastian Posth is a publisher and e-book professional with a strong focus on digital distribution. It has always been Posth’s claim to introduce “cutting-edge developments” and innovative technology into publishing and turn them into valuable and useful products, services and tools in order to support (e-book) publishers and intermediaries. In 2007, Posth founded Zentrale Medien, Germany’s first digital aggregator and one of the most productive conversion houses. The company was sold to Koch, Neff & Volckmar, Germany’s largest book wholesaler & distributor and re-branded as KN digital in 2009. KN digital converts and distributes e-books for major publishers like Rowohlt (Holtzbrinck/ Macmillan), DTV, Campus, WBG, Aufbau, etc. From 2009, Posth worked for VVA (arvato | Bertelsmann), one of the largest book distributors in Germany, shipping books & e-books for major (trade) publishers like Random House, Lübbe, Hanser, Kosmos, DuMont, O’Reilly. At VVA, Posth was director of digital content distribution, responsible for the development of media asset management and e-book distribution software BIC-Media. Since August 2011, Sebastian Posth has been partner of A2 Electronic Publishing, Berlin.