R. R. Donnelley And Microsoft Announce eBook Deal

Posted on November 5, 1999

R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. and Microsoft Corp. have announced that they will work together to provide consumers equipped with Microsoft Reader software with access to a repository of tens of thousands of eBook titles.

"Throughout our 135-year history, R. R. Donnelley has always been at the cutting edge of printing, publishing and content-management technology," said William L. Davis, R. R. Donnelley chairman and CEO. "Clearly, the advent of eBooks is one of many new developments for publishing. The combination of our workflow expertise in printing, content conversion and management, coupled with Microsoft software, will prove to be a win-win for the availability, interest and sales of eBooks."

Under the terms of the agreement, Donnelley will continue to work closely with its publishing partners to convert print titles into eBooks that conform to the recently announced Open eBook (OEB) specification. Donnelley will store and manage these titles in electronic form and work with online retailers who will offer the eBook titles to consumers. Donnelley will license technology tools from Microsoft, including digital rights management technology, for its initial eBook service offerings. Microsoft Reader is a new PC software application designed to deliver an on-screen computer reading experience. Microsoft Reader is expected to ship next year.