GAPP: Amazon China's Kindle Store Violates Regulations
Sina Tech, 12/14/12
The new Kindle Store launched by Amazon China on December 13 is operated by Chinese publishing organization ChineseAll.com - meaning, effectively, that Amazon China is using ChineseAll.com's licenses to operate its own store. In an interview today, Wang Qiang, director of the General Administration of Press and Publication's (GAPP) digital publishing department, said that the move was against regulations.
Under China's Publishing Management Regulations, Digital Publication Management Regulations, and Temporary Online Publishing Management Regulations, GAPP is responsible for reviewing and overseeing all enterprises involved in services related to e-books.
GAPP requires that companies engaging in the publication, editing, and distribution of e-book content platforms submit to review and oversight as e-book publishing work units and online publishing work units. Companies engaging in digital conversions, content editing, or content preloading for e-book content resources are similarly required to submit to review and oversight as work units engaged in e-book reproduction. Companies engaging in distribution, wholesale, or retail sales of e-books are required to submit to review and oversight as work units engaged in e-book distribution. Companies engaging in the import of e-books are required to submit to review and oversight as work units engaged in e-book import.
Any company seeking approval to sell electronic publications must obtain all related approvals and licenses.
A source in the publishing industry told Sina Tech that licensed companies may only sell their own content, and may neither allow other parties to operate their platforms nor operate platforms for other parties. If so, this may mean that Amazon China's partnership with ChineseAll.com exceeds the scope permitted by government policies.
GAPP has opened an investigation into Amazon China and ChineseAll.com, though no results are available at present. A spokesperson for ChineseAll.com said that the company had long been a partner of Amazon China, but declined to comment on recent developments.
Editor's Note: For more background on this topic, please see "Amazon China Adds Kindle Store Channel" MD 12/13/12 issue.
Keywords: Internet online publishing ChineseAll e-book Amazon GAPP Wang Qiang Kindle regulation B2C
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