Germany:
Online Book Retailers Merge
Augsburg-based Booxtra GmbH is taking over
competitor Mediantis AG (formerly Buecher.de) for up to DM7
million, creating a new online book retailer that could one day
emerge as a rival to current market leader Amazon.de.
Korea:
Korean Raids Seize $14 Million in Pirated Books (March 12, 2001)
Stepping up copyright enforcement efforts in Asia, South Korean law-enforcement officials, with the support of the Association of American Publishers, netted more than 600,000 counterfeit English-language books in a February 26 raid on the warehouse of Han Shin, one of the largest, best-known book distributors and publishers in South Korea.
Taiwan:
Taiwan Bars Japanese Author For Book About Sex Slaves (March 2, 2001)
Taiwan has barred a Japanese cartoonist from visiting the island, temporarily blacklisting him for a book that says many Taiwanese women volunteered to work as sex slaves for the Japanese army.
China, Italy:
Bertelsmann Online Books Adds China, Italy (January 3, 2001)
BOL, Bertelsmann's online bookshop, added Italy and China to its roster last month, bringing the number of countries where BOL does business to 16.
Vietnam:
'Harry Potter' fever sweeps through Vietnam
Vietnam joined the world in falling under Harry Potter's spell as a local publishing house rolled out the first full-length version of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" this week to rave reviews.
United Kingdom:
U.K. Independent Booksellers Experience Little Impact From Agreement's End
On the anniversary of the death of the Net Book Agreement five years ago, the industry has finally been forced to admit that the hysteria that greeted its demise was unfounded.
Iran:
Iran Dissident Cleric's Son Arrested
A son of Iran's most prominent dissident cleric has been arrested for distributing his father's memoirs.
Cuba:
'Unavailable' books in Cuba prompt rise of independent libraries
"Delgado's Havana apartment houses one of more than 60 independent libraries that have sprung up around the island in recent years to offer the country's many bookworms something besides revolutionary texts and official media."
China:
Chinese Poetry Festival Organizers Jailed
Organizers of a planned gathering of 200 avant-garde poets remain in jail on charges of ''illegal assembly'' after they ignored a Chinese Public Security Bureau warning that authorities would not allow the event, a human rights group said Tuesday.
China:
Chinese bookseller gets life sentence for dealing in banned books
Ten people have been sent to jail in China for illegally printing and selling books.
Australia:
"Publishers ready to book 15pc increases
The impact of Australia's currency woes has begun to hurt consumers, with major publishers lifting book prices by up to 15 per cent to offset margin pressures."
Czech:
Publisher of Hitler's Book to Face Charges - Czech Daily
"Michal Zitko, the publisher of Czech translation of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, will be sued for support and promotion of movements suppressing people's rights and freedoms, the daily `Pravo' writes today, referring to the state attorney."
Germany:
German shop laws spoil some Harry Potter parties
Leave it to the government to spoil a good party. Planned midnight feasts in German bookshops have been banned by the authorities in some parts of the country, who said Friday the German launch of the latest Harry Potter book is not a good enough reason to breach trading laws.
China:
Big Press Run for Harry Potter in China -- But Sales Are Lackluster
High prices and the availability of pirated Tiawanese copies of the Chinese translation of Harry Potter are holding back sales in China.
China:
China Clamps Down on the Publishing Industry
China is keeping a tight leash on the domestic publishing industry and has closed down 3,727 illegal printing factories since October 1998.
UK:
Poor book sales fail to deter HMV
"HMV Media yesterday said it remained committed to the group's ailing book retail chain Waterstone's despite reporting another slide in sales at the business."
China:
"Harry Potter" kidnapped by the pirates of China
Chinese bookshops have begun selling pirated translations of the Harry Potter books, four weeks before their official publication in China, state media reported on Tuesday.
China:
QINNET Appoints Chairman to Technical Advisory Board For E-Book Publishing Joint Venture in China (September 18, 2000)
Qinnet.com, Inc. has announced the appointment of Mr. William Gladstone to chair its Technical Advisory Board, which will spearhead its recently announced E-Book publishing joint venture with Liaoning Publishing Group ("LPG") in China.
China:
Publisher bringing Harry Potter to China
A state-owned publisher plans to release Chinese translations of the first three of British author J.K. Rowling's wildly popular books about the young wizard in October.
Germany:
German Online Bookseller Challenges Amazon, BOL
Amazon and BOL, Bertelsmann's online bookshop, may be getting a third competitor in their battle for European dominance in the Web book business -- buecher.de, a fast-moving German shop with Pan-European ambitions.
Bangladesh:
Hitler Book Banned from Bangladesh Schools
A controversial biography that lionised Adolf Hitler as a role model for children has been banned from Bangladesh schools after appearing on a government-approved reading list.
France:
Amazon.com To Launch French Store
Amazon it will launch Amazon.fr, a French-language site offering books, music CDs, DVDs and videos dedicated to customers in France and to French-speaking customers around the world.
China
China Seizes Book Picturing Clinton with Dalai Lama (August 28, 2000)
China has impounded thousands of copies of a new book which pictures President Bill Clinton with Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, a US-based publisher said Monday.
Japan:
Japan Textbook Draft Glosses Over Wartime Past
A draft of a Japanese junior high school history textbook glossing over Japan's World War Two invasion of Asia has been submitted for screening and possible use, a move likely to provoke fierce opposition from Asia.
Turkey:
Row over Turkey's wife-beating book
Turkey's state-run religious foundation has sparked public anger after publishing a booklet which approves of wife-beating.
Hong Kong:
Liquidation move for Chinese-language bookseller
Chinese Books Cyberstore (CBC), the online retailer billed as Hong Kong's answer to Amazon.com, is going into voluntary liquidation.
Germany:
German Publishers Square Off to Keep Online Book Discounters at Bay
'The latest chapter in the clash of cultures in Germany's ongoing book battles pits publishers trying to preserve an old system of price-fixing against a new generation of wily discounters hawking cheap books over the Internet.'
China:
Beijing to Host 5th Book Fair
Beijing will host the 5th Beijing Book Fair from September 8 to 18, with 300 publishing houses taking part.
China:
Former Taiwan President's New Book Rolls off the Press in Japan
"Asia's Strategy," former Republic of China President Lee Teng-hui's third book to be published in Japan, rolls off the press in Tokyo.
Hong Kong:
First Chinese E-Book Launched
Chinese Books Cyberstore and Digital Heritage Publishing announced the launch of, what the company claims is, the first Chinese e-book, allowing Chinese readers around the world to download a sample chapter.
Phillipines:
New Challenge to Book Authors
The Philippines is ranked at the bottom of the list of book producing countries. Its president wants that to change, and issued a challenge to authors "to rise in the world to a new peak of distinction and prestige and provide the wisdom that they can leave with pride to our people."
Greece:
Book dubbed 'blasphemous' goes on sale after court lifts temporary ban
Circulation of "M to the Power of N" resumed after a court lifted a temporary sale ban. The book was condemned as blasphemous by the Greek Orthodox Church, as it contains passages about the possible sexual longings of Jesus Christ. The suspension of sales had been imposed to prevent outbreaks of violence after religious zealots threatened to take action against the author and bookstores.
Egypt:
Egyptian author gets suspended sentence for writings offensive to Islam
An Egyptian author, Salah-Eddine Mohsen, was sentenced to a suspended six-month jail term for writing books that offend Islam. Mohsen was indicted for writing that the Quran was outdated. Under Egyptian law, Mohsen can be immediately imprisoned for any future offense.
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