Damascus-SANA
Today, the world is moving towards technology and digital development to employ it in all aspects of life, especially with regard to knowledge and cultural affairs, as the word has become revolving around the world through the push of a button.
The new generation tends to receive culture and knowledge through new ways, which has made those in charge of publishing institutions and writers challenged to meet these requirements and to be more up to date with the times.
SANA monitored the opinions of publishing houses and participants in the Syrian Book Fair, including journalists and writers, about the importance of the electronic book and what distinguishes it from paper and the possibility of being subjected to piracy. They are sold over the Internet in various ways that cannot be copied, noting that developed countries consider electronic publishing to complement its paper counterpart.
Aqel pointed out that some institutions make their intellectual products available electronically for free, and this is what she describes as an infringement of intellectual property rights.
In turn, the head of the Arab Writers Union, Dr. Muhammad Al-Hourani, stresses the importance of the electronic book in light of technology and development, but on condition that it does not eliminate the role of the paper book.
Ali Mualla, an exhibitor at the Arab Writers Union pavilion at the exhibition, believes that electronic publishing has advantages, including the ability of the researcher to find the books he needs easily, but he nonetheless prefers the paper book over the electronic one.
Critic Dr. Ahmed Ali Muhammad, one of the visitors to the exhibition, found that the e-book is a reality that we cannot overlook because it has proven its feasibility and effectiveness and has a large number of users because it enables the reader to read anywhere he wants. In addition, the volume of digital literature spread more than its paper counterpart, although he sees The paper book has an aesthetic, but it also encourages the electronic one.
Director of Al-Assad National Library, Iyad Murshid, finds that the e-book stands alongside the paper, and it is a substitute for it, and the most important from his point of view is the continuity of the publishing movement, creating a readership community and encouraging it to read by all means.
The journalist, Imad Al-Din Ibrahim, director of the Syrian Satellite Channel, encourages the e-book as a paperback in light of the high prices of the latter, while electronic copies are available for free or at acceptable prices, pointing out at the same time that the cultural arena accepts all forms of knowledge.
The writer Dr. Manya Sweid, owner of Sweden Publishing House, agrees with him because she believes that the e-book contributes to the dissemination of culture for a generation that relies on its technology tools and relies on it in all aspects of life, and thus the ultimate goal is to spread culture through technology.
A number of workers in publishing houses participating in the exhibition agree that the e-book should be a substitute for paper without violating intellectual property rights and copyright infringement.
Hadi Imran
