This hot topic just got a little bit hotter with the circulation of an open letter to American and UK publishers by more internationally-flavored industry folk, including distributors Jorge Brentano and Jan Andersen, booksellers Lynn Kaplanian-Buller and Odile Hellier and Portuguese publisher Karl Heinz Petzler (of Lisma Lda. Lisbon.) They "strongly oppose" any land grab of European rights by UK publishers because:

• All European distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and ultimately the consumers, would be obliged to buy British books, thus depriving them of the right to choose between competing editions. There would no longer be a free trade situation in which customers can decide which edition they want.

• It would not increase overall book sales in stores but only be an invitation to Internet dealers, such as Amazon who could supply consumers anywhere with the edition of their choice.

• In the case of an absence of any competition British publishers could not only fix their retail prices (which, again, would harm overall sales) but also lay down other commercial rules of their choice with regard to discounts, returns , payment terms etc. - without any restrictions.

• In a global market this would be an atavistic move, because it means a return to protectionism and an attack on cultural diversity. We would like to urge all publishers involved to strongly reject any effort to restrict competition in our market.

No question, this fight's not over yet by a longshot...