File-Swapping Wizards Hex the World of Text
To those who downplay the importance of happenings in the music business with file swapping networks, perhaps a little tale of sorcery from the world of Harry Potter will finally raise your eyebrows. The New York times reports that bootleg eBook versions of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" are spreading through file sharing services such as KaZaA on a global basis. Notably the market for translated versions has been especially brisk, in some instances getting a year's leg up on official distribution channels of the book to their local markets. Those downloading English versions seem to be the "must have" readers who are likely to get the official version in time, but just had to have it as soon as possible. While there are still some obstacles to overcome with commercial eBook distribution, it's clear that the markets have already spoken fairly loudly that the age of eBooks will not wait for publishers to figure out what to do with content collection technology that its customers already use and enjoy.