51 Million Take Down Notices and Counting

2012 appears to be the year when the surge in copyright take-down notices may have tipped search engine sites into considering proactive downgrading the results of repeat offenders or self policing by de-listing them. This action if taken will be significant step, but the sheer rise in number of take-down requests may now necessitate it being taken.

Google and other hosting services, have an obligation to remove infringing content upon receiving a valid DMCA request from copyright holders. Google publish weekly stats on the number of take-down notices they receive and process. In 2012, copyright holders requested Google to remove a staggering 51.3 million links, which is a significant increase compared to previous years. Google is currently processing half a million take-down requests per day and the number is not stable, but increasing week by week. The last week saw a record 3.5 million requests, which itself is 15 times greater than that receive in the whole of last January.

As expected the RIAA is the most active sender of requests with 7.8 million over the year. Surprisingly, the Pirate Bay were only cited in around half a million requests this year, whereas the file sharing site FilesTube topped the rankings with 2.2 million requests.

The increasing trend in requests and take-downs highlights the problem of their management and the challenges of dealing with and resolving take-down notices against legitimate content. It is therefore more likely that companies such as Google will increasingly downgrade the search results of repeat offenders and maybe even take the ultimate step and de-list them.

The current system is more of a case of ‘sticky tape and plaster’ than a resolution and as bodies such as the RIAA continue to automate their detection and servicing of notices, we appear to be climbing onto a treadmill that is just getter faster and bigger. The ideal solution for much of the copyright infringement is a open copyright register, but we have seen that the associations appear to be devoid of funds and the commitment to take that bold step and instead are happy to continue to add more sticky tape to the issue and pass the blame down the chain to the likes of Google who ironically offered one to the book industry, albeit with many unacceptable strings..

Pearson: Is Nook Investment Wise Dot Com?

It’s great that publishers occasionally back technology start ups and invest hard cash. It’s often easier for them easier to ‘sit on the fence’ and wait to see who wins, but by backing technology with cash and commitment it could be said that they are supporting, shaping and developing their future and not merely waiting for someone to do it for them.

We have seen recent publisher investments in self publishing, an area previously shunned and derided by the same people. Self publishing is hardly new, but clearly is potentially very different in a digital environment and offers both the author and reader new opportunities that hardly existed in the physical world.

Now Pearson has purchased a 5% stake in Barnes & Noble's Nook Media division for what would appear a significant $89.5 million.

We ask why, why now and is it 'wise dot com'?

Nook is hardly state of the art technology, nor is it a global device, or even a market leading store offer in its own back yard. Nook Media also faces many challenges ahead on its; relationships, technology, store offer and some would suggest that a 5% stake is hardly going to shake the tree, especially if Pearson is the lone publisher investor.

The relationship with Microsoft is somewhat unclear as Microsoft pin their future on Windows 8 and RT and their own Surface range. Nook has made it abroad, but is often seen as 'that other Kindle' in a market that has killed off many pretenders before it. Technology prices are tumbling and devices continue to consolidate and the Nook only competes in the shrinking ereader and tablet worlds and has no smartphone or higher spec ultrabook offers. Can Nook really compete with the technology giants across such a narrow range and given their shallow pockets?

The Nook, or B&N store, is just another ebook store with little social or discovery pull and importantly it can't leverage what the consumer doesn’t know outside of the US – the Barnes and Noble brand.

We all know that Nook needs the cash, but why now, why Pearson and why only 5%?

The merger of Penguin and Random House makes the move now more confusing and suggests that the play may be more about education and academic than trade. However, Pearson has other investments in this area and a Nook Media offer could be confusing to their Coursesmart partners.

Perhaps, we shall so discover the logic of the investment, but in the meantime B&N will be grateful for some seasonal support, cheer and investment.

2012 Quiz Answers

Earlier we set our 2012 Quiz

Well who got them right and gets A+ and who gets to stand in the corner with a pointed hat?

1.            Name the service launched to capture them young, lock in the parents and build on their Prime service? A: Amazon FreeTime

2.            Which two technology giants traded patent court victories around the world and dominated the mobile wars? A: Apple and Sumsung

3.            Which famous source of authoritative information stopped physical publication after 244 years and went digital? A: Encyclopaedia Britannica

4.            Who launch their online streaming service in the UK and achieved a million subscriptions in just seven months? A: Netflix

5.            Which technology giant and household name failed to react to the mobile and went into bankruptcy? A: Kodak

6.            What travel publisher was swallowed up by Google? A: Frommer

7.            Which bookseller said they couldn't digitally compete and potentially sold out their digital future and customers to Amazon? A: Waterstones

8.            What ebook challenge is ‘Powell’s Dilemma’ and who is it named after? A:Colin Powell

9.            Who created a Newco in forming a technology partnership? A: Microsoft and Barnes and Noble

10.         Who said that they were no longer going to sell Amazon Kindles within their chain of stores? A: Walmart

11.         Which self publisher and owner of iUniverse and  Xlibris was itself bought this year by a big 5 trade publisher? A: Author Solutions

12.         What is the estimated US and UK market shares of the proposed Random House and Penguin merger? A: 25% and 27%

13.         Which speaker service launched an Educational service based on putting the best teachers in front of kids to help teachers engage with them and make subjects interesting? A: TED Ed

14.         Which publishers settled with the DOJ over Agency and which decided to fight on? A: HarperCollins, Simon and Schuster, Hachette, and just Penguin and still out there Macmillan

15.         Who bought Instagram for $1billion? A: Facebook

16.         What company was being taken to court by Capitol Records in a move to stop them reselling digital music and was seen as the first case to challenge the lack of ‘First Sale Doctrine’ on digital files? A: ReDigi

17.         Which publisher made the entire ebook offer DRM free and also started to promote competitors titles alongside theirs? A: TOR

18.         Which start-up launched with a ebook model based on ‘as much as you can eat’ for a monthly subscription? A: Oyster

19.         Which publisher did Amazon buy in June? A:

20.          What do Amazon, Google, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Starbucks all have in common and Google and Apple share elsewhere?  A: they all operate in Europe by exploiuting tax loopholes and cross border benefits, or put more plainly avoid paying fair tax

Samsung and Apple Continue to Slug It Out

The mobile wars continue and there is now a clear two horse race today between Apple and Samsung. How long the battle will last and whether another player will come to join them is as uncertain and unpredictable as much of the future.

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the latest to deliver bad news to Apple, in that it has now rejected Apple's pinch-to-zoom patent because it claims prior patents covered the invention.

A total of 21 specific pinch to zoom methodologies are claimed by Apple's filing. All were rejected by the patent office on the basis that they had already been granted to previous applicants - something the USPTO had not discovered before approving the document in November 2010.

However, it’s not a final ruling and the process involves a number of further steps and even after that, the decision can be appealed in court. But it does give Apple a wake up call and brings further doubt over the £1bn damage win that Apple secures in their home court as the patent was one of the six cited in the case.

Meanwhile Samsung continue to try to overturn the jury’s verdict and this new ruling could drag the case on for years with appeals. Also Apple are likely to appeal the USPTO decision and in the judge has to decide on the final damage figure.

USPTO has now twice revoked Apple patents, as it took the same action in October against its so called 'rubber band" user-interface effect', which makes lists appear to bounce and snap back in place after a user has scrolled beyond their end.

Elsewhere the battles continue in 10 countries and news is not good for Apple. It has been asked to disclose the details of its patent-sharing deal with HTC to Samsung. It has also lost a UK appeal against a ruling that Samsung had not infringed its design rights and was also asked by the UK court to publish a statement on its website admitting that Samsung had not infringed its designs.

US sales bans from claims by Apple against Samsung's Galaxy Nexus phone and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer were also lifted in October.

Apple are clearly not having it their way in the courts since their August victory. 

An EU 'iTax' Is Not The Answer

The UK government have announced that they are to finally acknowledge the right of individuals to copy material for the own use. We have all done it. We have all copied a file from one format to another , or from one device to another in order that we can play it as we want to , on the device we want to, or store it logically with other files. Today that is illegal in the UK, but tomorrow it will be finally addressed.

However, in addressing it we face many further interpretations and fine detail. It will not allow encrypted files to be unlocked so in fact could be said to be further promoting some to remain in the restrictive world of DRM. Defining what librarians, teachers and academic researchers, can and can’t copy is today also open to much debate. It will get clarified as the law is amended, but how much compromise has to be accommodated and how open it will be in reality, is widely open to debate and much lobbying by strong vested interested groups.

It is right that the law reflects the consumer perspective and decimalises what is accepted social practice, but it also must protect the licensed owner’s and originator’s too. In doing so it must strive to obviate creating new loopholes that can be exploited by some at the detriment of others. Interestingly it should also recognise that what is acceptable today will need to be revisited and reviewed regularly as the digital environment evolves and cloud based services develop. We still are to revisit the long overdue review of the first sale doctrine on digital and some would argue that this alone is the biggest timebomb and is primed to explode

The latest taxation challenge and EU battle looks to be over what has been dubbed the ‘iTax’. This battle is clearly going to pit the UK against other member states and also some other states against each other.

Today in France if you buy a 64gig iPad you will pay a 15 Euro iTax on the transaction. If you buy it over the border in a neighbouring country you may pay zero iTax. France raises a levy on digital device sales to offset the lost revenues from digital copying but could be said by some to be just driving sales elsewhere with little deterrent and even less real revenue. In Holland cassettes carry a 2 Euro levy and a 2 gig memory stick a 0.50 Euro one. In Poland even blank sheets of paper are taxed  as they can be used to facilitate copying. It begs questions as to how the tax is distributed, the logic of the charges and whether they make any difference today, let alone tomorrow, or whether they are just like some ‘green taxes’- a means of raising tax revenues?

The UK have rightly said no to the iTax and now appear to be on a collision course with the EU who wish to introduce a standard cross community iTax with some £15 tax in iPads  and other gadgets and also iTax on blank media, all to cover the cost of illegal copying. Some would suggest this is just tax for tax sake.

Copying and piracy is promoted by scarcity of content and the inability to access, play or store at one’s convenience. Loopholes and inconsistency of pricing, taxes and approach to copyright, in a cross border commercial environment such as the EU, is the bigger cause of abuse. Taxing devices and blank material is not the answer and just drives more people underground. Inconsistent VAT rates, between digital and physical media, and also between free trading nations are at best indefensible and at worst an open invitation for global companies to exploit for their own pockets at the expense of all. Introducing more tax, for tax sake, is not the answer.

The EU is once again demonstrating its ineptitude to deal with the digital issues head on and instead play to their political audience. The digital strategy that we wrote about earlier this week, clearly shows vision but also is so predictable and fails to address today’s issues.

The fact is that global business is pulling the fabric on which individual and local societies can grow. The commercial environment today is imbalanced in favour of the accountants, lobbyist and loophole managers and Taxing the illogical to reward the state is not the answer.

Qi Makes Smartphones Even Smarter

How many times have you been out on the road and found that your phone was running short of battery life? It’s a problem we have all encountered and apart from always charging your phone, there are two obvious remedies, suppliers investing in better battery technology, or providing portable top up solutions.

Toyota is leading the way to make charging more available and easier whilst on the move. Next year they will introduce Qi (not the Stephen Fry game show) pronounced ‘chee’. Qi works via magnetic induction that transmits energy over a magnetic field and was used on the, no forgotten Palm Pre. There are no wires, you just rest your phone on a mat and ‘Hey Presto’ it charges.

Toyota will introduce Qi in its new Avalon sedan and others are queuing up to follow. Also Powermat Technologies are currently deploying charging mats in US public sites such as Starbucks.

Currently, Qi wireless charging is supported by 34 mobile phone models and there are additionalsystem to facilitate other smartphones. The Wireless Power Consortium that is pushing Qi, has more than 100 members, including Samsung, Nokia, HTC, Motorola Mobility and Sony and importantly means that any Qi-enabled handset is compatible with any Qi charger, regardless of the brand.

The Smartphone is about to become a bit more smarter

Free Music?

The music industry continues to grapple with streaming and new subscription models and is generally shrinking and what is a volatile market. The pirates are still here, but so are a growing number of services whose legitimacy is often hard to determine. Free music and file sharing can be traced back to Napster and those that followed such as Kazaa and The Pirate Bay. Free music is not going away and making sense of where we will end up and balance the market is often hard to determine.  

This week we were introduced to a new Android app ‘Music Download Pro’. It looked and behaved like a music download service allowing extensive search against artists, tracks, albums etc and the results were quickly displayed and were quite impressive. You can then sample a track or download it and the result was quite impressive regarding the speed and quality. It also remembered your downloads in the library, so you can replay them at your will. The challenge we found was that there appears to be no pay slot and the app itself was free, so where’s the money?

Spotify continues to lead the streaming music market and has a sizeable audience across Europe and the US. Its Premium subscription service has a growing following with users willing to pay a monthly fee to receive ‘as much as they can eat’ ad free music. The free ad funded model still works in parallel and they do have a model that everyone can see and which importantly pays royalties.

We now read in Lifestyle that 68.6% of Japanese spend no money on music downloads. We can’t substantiate the validity of the claim, or the basis of the sample surveyed, but the Japanese music market is claimed to have narrowed to the big hitters and ‘X Factory’ clones. The alternative revenues from ringtones, concerts and merchandise do offer new or increased revenues and the market mix is obviously in a state of digital flux, but if consumers reject the pay model – where’s the money?

So where could we be heading?

There will be various revenue models that are based on the artists ability to turn their fans into money. It’s not about selling records but selling stuff to fans. Will artists now make more money from product endorsement of a perfume, car, watch etc and their image, than they make from music royalties? We often assume artist will all make money from concerts and merchandise but does the celebrity factor make a bigger contribution in the future and what does that mean to the music produced? Do we now accept the fabricated stars as musicians or merely as celebrities?

Meanwhile we continue to download music for free via the likes of Music Download Pro and think little of who’s paying for it.

Google Play Talks Back

Google has released a new version of Google Play Books app for Android. The new release will now read books to users. Dubbed "read aloud," the feature works converting text to speech technology so making listening to ebooks available for all titles.

There is the obvious question as to whether the publishers or authors will object but given the voice is synthesized and not studio quality this should not pose a problem.

Google Play also now supports pinch-to-zoom and double-tap-to-zoom now functionality let users bounce within a page with greater ease. Also the app will now recommend other titles you might like when you've reached the end of a book. 

The EU Declares 7 Digital Priorities and Forgets the Big One

The European Commission has adopted a seven point plan to accelerate the growth of the European digital economy. The European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes claims, "2013 will be the busiest year yet for the Digital Agenda. My top priorities are to increase broadband investment and to maximise the digital sector's contribution to Europe's recovery."

They have focused on an agenda that is aimed at increasing technology investment, improving and growing eSkills, enabling public sector innovation, and ‘reforming the framework conditions’ for the internet economy. It is claimed that by addressing the infrastructure by pan-European action could create 1.2 million jobs.

However is it merely pushing a future agenda over the reality of the mess of the EU today. Some  would suggest that today’s clear abuse of taxation loopholes within the community are in fact potentially spoiling the overall growth? Other argue that because there is nothing illegal being done by the these international corporations all is well and free markets will always prevail.

The EU’s seven priorities are:

1. Create a new and stable broadband regulatory environment aimed at reducing the cost of roll-out.

2. New public digital service infrastructures of digital services such as eIDs and eSignatures, business mobility, eJustice, electronic health records and cultural platforms such as Europeana. All aimed at reducing the cost of doing business

3. Launch Grand Coalition on Digital Skills and Jobs and make Europe more "start-up friendly".

4. Propose EU cyber-security strategy and Directive

5. Update EU's Copyright Framework

6. Accelerate cloud computing through public sector buying power with an aim to dismantling current national walls and creating the ‘world's largest cloud-enabled ICT market.’

7. Launch new electronics industrial strategy for micro- and nano-electronics.

So we have some very grand plans which claim to show the way forward for a digital Europe. But these plans do not address how the revenues generated today let alone tomorrow can build a stronger society. The new start up and technology corporations are continuing to pay their fair share and invest in the local economies and instead are squirreling away their gains, sharing it with their shareholders and playing financial games in order to avoid tax. The current EU non standardised VAT and taxation rules have created this opportunity or problem. The EU is great at proclaiming the way forward but often very poor at resolving the challenges they create.

Click to  read the EU press release  

Instrgarm Raise the Digital Finger to Their Users

The service that shoot to fame and fortune by enabling users to share photos with friends has now taken the word 'share' and rewritten its meaning.

Take a photo load it on Instagram, share it with friends and now give it to Facebook to exploit and make money on and worst of all you can sit back and get nothing!

It doesn't sound right but Facebook's photo-sharing site Instagram has just updated its privacy policy, effectively allowing it to grab the right to sell its users' photos to advertisers without notification, or money. They have even condescended to giving all Instagram account folders a deadline date of 16 January, but also denied them the opportunity to opt out.

The changes also mean Instagram will share user information with its parent Facebook which bought it earlier this year for $1bn. The sharing of information also now extends to other affiliates and advertisers. In other words whoever they wish to share it with.

Earlier this month, Facebook's vice-president of global marketing solutions, Carolyn Everson said: "Eventually we'll figure out a way to monetise Instagram." Well, it appears it didn’t take them long to sort that problem out and now they have literally grabbed their user’s images and information to exploit as their own and for free!

International technology giants appear to be currently rewriting the rules at their whim and fancy, avoiding tax with not a blink of and eye, taking personal pictures to sell them as their own, sharing information with who they wish and generally behaving very questionably. We have seen policies such as this be reverted before, but it’s now very much a case of ‘Catch us if you can.’

See update on their policy from Instagram in comments

Just Give Me The Right eReader?

Technology doesn't stand still and today’s desirable device soon becomes tomorrow’s yard sale or land fill.

When the first eink readers appeared they were novel, functional and expensive. They promised much and helped kick start the ebook movement. We now take them for granted, but they were always very limited in their scope and monochrome in the offer. We often referred to them as the ‘lookie likie’ devices, which  all offered the same experience, the same technology’, all promised to be the next biggest player, but all looked the same. We soon saw the casualties, as one after another they hit the wall and their technology started to follow eight track and cassettes and became history. Forget the recent claims made by IHS iSuppli of reader decline, what remains today are, the Kindle, Nook and Kobo and are becoming less a desirable present,  but more of an  unwanted one.

The tablet changed many people’s perception of mobile computing and playing media on the move. The iPad became the must have device and although many competitors appeared, few could compete with the Apple offer. However, as with all technology the serious competitors are now muscling in on the market and starting to redefine the tablet from their own perspective and in doing so offer real alternatives. Samsung clearly offer convergence from the smartphone through the tablet, ultra book, laptop to the TV, their pen technology is a clear winner and they continue to grow across all devices.  Microsoft have thrown the hat in the ring with Windows 8 and RT plus Surface. It is questionable whether Surface, as it stands today, will attract enough with its limited offer. However, Windows 8 is the key component and if as expected and by being pre installed and performing, it starts to dominate the ultra book and laptop market, it could strongly influence the smartphone and tablet markets and become a serious third player.

They are wild cards out there and Amazon’s holistic offer and Fire is a serious contender. They may appear to be ‘cheap and cheerful’ tablet, but by locking in purchasing benefits to the devices they will remain a contender. However, it is harder to see Nook and Kobo in the same league and playing catch up may be a step to far and maybe this is where they fall out. Nook and Microsoft could re-emerge, but it is hard to see how that will happen in the short term and today is about short term plays.

The real markets to watch are at either end of the mobile platform not in the middle. The Ultra book offered so much, but was upstaged in yesterday’s beauty contest by the bikini clad iPad. The ultra books were over priced, still wedded to the laptop form and burdened with legacy operating systems. However, we are starting to see real changes here with the emergence of hybrid convertibles – an ultra book with full office and PC strength, which flips into a tablet. The Surface was a perfect form, but unfortunately limited itself to the tablet internals. Samsung and others are close to delivering the answer and when it happens and at the right price then the market will change and business not consumers will drive that change. There are enough players out there to fix the price issue and that need to create the right device to ensure their own survival.

At  the other end of the sandwich we have the smartphone, which is no longer a mobile but a computer in the pocket. The Samsung Note II is a classic forerunner for what must happen next – the convergence of the mini tablet and the smartphone. Apple must have one in prototype and finally drop this nonsensical division between two devices, where the only real difference is the ability to make phone calls! The real challenge is getting that something extra inside the box. Voice appears to be a given and Apple have the lead there, whilst Samsung’s pen is both incredible to use and they have the lead there. We see these being the two contenders today and because they play on all the device platforms, they well positioned and are the clear favourites to succeed in the short term.

However, the other emerging driver is the cloud and the opportunities to de clutter the device of everything but the basics. Those ebook readers that boasted they could store thousands of books are fast becoming dinosaurs living in a forgotten time and saying the wrong message. We are now moving to  an on demand 24 x 7 with access to everything and subscription services replace outright purchases for what is an access licence after all. These change not only how we consume media, interact, purchase services but the devices themselves.

Finally, we have the ‘Ray Hammond’ mobile server that we wrote about earlier this month. The smartglasses are almost here, the intuitive gesture detection is still in the labs, the Bluetooth and wi fi connectivity is here. It’s now more about the packaging and creating consumer demand that will be the challenge.

Sacha Baron-Cohen in accepting his Lifetime Comedy Award this week, did so as his character Ali G. He took a humorous retrospective look at the changes since he last played Ali G some ten years ago, ‘there was no iPhone, no iphone 2, no iphone 3, no iphone 4, no iphone 5 and I wonder what is next?’

Perhaps its time for a step change in 2013?      

Google Avoids $2 Billion in Tax?

As Starbucks make offers to the UK tax man which some suggest amount to mere ‘chump change’, the immoral tax avoidance practices of international companies continue to reach public awareness. We now discover that Google, whose European headquarters is in Ireland, managed to save some $2 billion in international income taxes in 2011. They did this by transferring some $9.8 in revenues to its shell company in Bermuda, which doesn't have a corporate income tax. As a result Google was able to save its overall tax bill by an impressive 50%.

Apple, Facebook and Google all use a technique which involves setting up two companies in Ireland, one usually registered in a tax haven and which acts as an intermediary between firms. This tax ‘game’ is perfectly legal and even allows them to avoid paying tax on its profits at even Ireland's low 12.5 % corporation tax on profits.

Perhaps its time we had a ‘name and shame’ list of those who profit, whilst their customers pay their dues, libraries close, their welfare is cut and the people put money into their pockets. The EU which is under financial pressure to find a solution to this Tax abuse and now claims that international companies tax avoidance was costing it over $1 trillion each year.

Original source Bloomberg: Google Revenues Sheltered in No-Tax Bermuda Soar to $10 Billion

Daniel Ek Speaks On His Spotify Sucess

Listen to the passion of what drove Daniel Ek, the 29-year-old founder of Spotify, to create the music download service.

Piracy and coming from Sweden, often regarded as the home of piracy, was a greater driver for Ek than competing with the likes of Pandora. Ek says, “I decided I wanted to create a product that was better than piracy.”

With  over 20 million active monthly users and having now successfully taken the service to the US Ek has more than changed the way many listen, sample and socially share music. Ek says, “There are half a billion people that listen to music online and the vast majority are doing so illegally. But if we bring those people over to the legal side and Spotify, what is going to happen is we are going to double the music industry and that will lead to more artists creating great, new music.”

We believe that his greatest achievement however is offering a viable new business model and getting the music producers and business industry to accept it. The question which now is on everyone’s lips is whether the same logic can be brought to an ebook market that still clings to DRM?

Test Your 2012 Digital Knowledge?

Looking back at 2012 we thought a Quiz would be the best to unwind the year and test your memory and that of your collegues.

1. Name the service launched to capture them young, lock in the parents and build on their Prime service?
2. Which two technology giants traded patent court victories around the world and dominated the mobile wars?
3. Which famous source of authoritative information stopped physical publication after 244 years and went digital?
4. Who launch their online streaming service in the UK and achieved a million subscriptions in just seven months?
5. Which technology giant and household name failed to react to the mobile and went into bankruptcy?
6. What travel publisher was swallowed up by Google?
7. Which bookseller said they couldn't digitally compete and potentially sold out their digital future and customers to Amazon?
8. What ebook challenge is ‘Powell’s Dilemma’ and who is it named after?
9. Who created a Newco in forming a technology partnership?
10. Who said that they were no longer going to sell Amazon Kindles within their chain of stores?
11. Which self publisher and owner of iUniverse and  Xlibris was itself bought this year by a big 5 trade publisher?
12. What is the estimated US and UK market shares of the proposed Random House and Penguin merger?
13. Which speaker service launched an Educational service based on putting the best teachers in front of kids to help teachers engage with them and make subjects interesting?
14. Which publishers settled with the DOJ over Agency and which decided to fight on?
15. Who bought Instagram for $1billion?
16. What company was being taken to court by Capitol Records in a move to stop them reselling digital music and was seen as the first case to challenge the lack of ‘First Sale Doctrine’ on digital files?
17. Which publisher made the entire ebook offer DRM free and also started to promote competitors titles alongside theirs?
18. Which start-up launched with a ebook model based on ‘as much as you can eat’ for a monthly subscription?
19. Which publisher did Amazon buy in June?
20. What do Amazon, Google, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Starbucks all have in common and Google and Apple share elsewhere?  
    
    
    The answers to be published next week.