With the launch last fall of RightsDirect, CCC’s European subsidiary, Copyright Clearance Center is looking to meet better the needs of multinational corporate customers.” As Kim Zwollo, RightsDirect’s general manager explains to Chris Kenneally, “One of the challenges larger companies who operate in different countries face is all those different copyright laws in all those different countries. If as a company, you want to do the right thing, it’s really a very complex mix of rules out here.”
Adding to the complexity, the European publishing landscape differs considerably from the United States in significant ways. Although mobile telephone technology in Europe may be more advanced the America, the adoption of e-books, for example, has taken longer to see. But according to Ed Nawotka of Publishing Perspectives, that gap is closing. “The past six months saw a number of large European retailers introduce their own branded [e-reading] devices much like Amazon did in the States..so you’re starting to see this really take off. The effect is you’re going to see an increased focus on digital issues, digitization and e-books, much as it has been in the U.S.”