Days ago, during 2013 BIBF, the Chinese publisher giant China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation (CNPIEC) launched its eBooks acquisition platform CNPereading. Through cooperation with the world's renowned publishers and integrators, namely John Wiley & Sons Ltd，Overdrive，De Gryuter, CNPereading now has integrated huge amounts of foreign language e-book resources and provided innovative e-resources solutions for more than 40,000 library customers and more than 1 million end-users. The CNPereading is regarded as useful attempts for Chinese publishers to make digital publishing globalization.

Efforts making digital publishing globalization
   
Chinese publishers are now taking on the recent digital boom with ease and eagerness. They are expending great energy to output the digital publishing. Chen Jian, director of Digital Development Center under China Renmin University Press Co, Ltd., an experienced licensing manager, told CIP news that producing e-resources of high quality is the first step for Chinese publisher going abroad. What non-Chinese language readers can get overseas are mainly academic e-resources, such as journals, thesis and yearbooks, they are keen to get more types of books concerning Chinese culture, history etc. He suggests that Chinese publishers should expand varieties of books exported. "Publication exportation is not only translation from one language to another, it also needs to localize while continuing to produce more publications. "He says.
   
Except for the customer-oriented productions, Chinese publishers should establish their own oversea distribution channels, according to Ke Chunxiao, a senior manager from China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, a leading digital publisher in China. Due to lack of oversea distribution channels, Chinese publishers is tardy to enter oversea markets. "A cost-effective way to address this problem is to cooperate with experienced digital publishing platforms. After years' of development, they are of broad experiences in oversea distributions and sales, and have established good relationship with libraries, publishers, end-users from home and abroad." Says Mr. Ke.

Contracts should be treated with cautions
   
The pace of change to digital publishing is quickening, and the momentum seems unstoppable. However, digital publishing industry is facing several letdowns, such as lack of e-book quality evaluation standards. Meanwhile, due to complicated definition of subject of copyright, there are legal risks in the deal. As a result, parties involved should be prudent in signing the contracts.
   
Obtaining licensing is of crucial importance to the digital publishers. Generally speaking, the publishers generally get authorization from writers, publishers or the agencies. But there are legal risks in this procedure, according to Zhang Hongbo, secretary-general of China Written Works Copyright Society. "Digital publishing is an emerging industry, the writers and the publishers usually have different understandings of this new industry, unlicensed usage first, then seek licensing later is commonly seen in the deal." Says Mr. Zhang.
　　
To solve problems mentioned above, Chen Jian suggests that the parties involved should be more cautious in detailed clauses in the contracts. Occasions in the following should be treated with special attentions. Firstly, grantee must ensure that the franchisors have the network information communication right and the copyright holders have legally authorized the franchisors. Secondly, when reaching a digital publishing contract concerning physical books, the grantee should clarify the ownership of the copyrights; check the contracts between the publishers and the writers are necessary. Thirdly, if possible, the grantee signs the contracts directly with the writers. If the grantee signs the contracts with the third party but the writers themselves, they should check relevant papers signed by the writers and the third party. Besides these, Li Lingling, an oversea business manager from the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, says that the parties to the contracts should also focus on the details, such as intended usage, payment mode, taxation, licensing period.

(China IP News)