Amsterdam

A Dutch web firm that sells second-hand e-books has complained to the country's competition authorities that it is being boycotted by three of the largest Dutch publishers.

The bookseller Tom Kabinet claimed the publishers VBK, Meulenhoff/Lannoo and WPG have blocked it from selling their e-books through its website, and alerted the authority for consumers and markets in the Netherlands.

Tom Kabinet has been something of a trailblazer in its field. According to standard terms and conditions for digital media

Dutch ebook resale site Tom Kabinet has to close because, at least at the moment, it cannot prove that all the books offered for sale on the site have been legally obtained, an Amsterdam court ruled Tuesday.

Tom Kabinet, which allows sellers to upload ebook files to the site, has been online since June last year. It asks sellers to verify that the ebooks being uploaded were legally obtained, via a declaration in which they also state that they will erase their copy after the upload.

Dutch universities have vowed not to soften their groundbreaking demands for publishers to permit all papers published by their academics to be made open access for no extra charge.

In January last year, Sander Dekker, the Dutch minister for education, culture and science, decreed that 60 per cent of Dutch research articles must be open access by 2019 and 100 per cent by 2024. Dutch university presidents responded by agreeing to make their renewal of subscription deals dependent on publishers taking steps to realise this goal.

EPUB3, the most advanced eBook format, will provide readers with a more immersive, multi-media eBook experience

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, will move its new eBooks to EPUB3, becoming the first major STM publisher to commit to the latest, most advanced eBook format available.

Independent bookstores in America are flying high and many are reporting, at least anecdotally, that 2013 was their best year yet. Several have seen gains of 15% or more over the December, according to anecdotal conversations at this year's Winter Institute. the annual convention for indie bookstores organized by the American Booksellers Association (ABA), which was held in Seattle this week.

The fifth iteration of the Winter Institute was the biggest yet, drawing some 500 booksellers from across the United States. It was also the first year where the international community was invited,

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