The e-publishing sector develops rapidly and offers several business opportunities as well as comfortable solutions for the readers. However the question remains-to what extent will readers be able to really own their ebooks? And does the ebook market really offer the freedom of choice?

The answer relies on Open Standards which are essential for interoperability, users’ freedom of choice and in addition help to avoid vendor lock-in. Once we buy or write a book it’s natural to expect that we fully possess it, can enjoy its content everytime and everywhere and of course pass it to someone else if we feel like. Although unfortunately in the digital environment this is less evident.

Stressing the public interest in non-market sharing of ebooks doesn’t mean that Open Standards on the ebook market don’t offer business opportunities at all. There are several existing business models which by recognizing the needs of a wider public, try to ensure that the ebooks are enjoyable regardless of file format or publisher .