CLEVELAND, OH and OXFORD, UK – February 26, 2002 – OverDrive, Inc., a leading provider of eBook, Digital Rights Management (DRM) and Retail Media Vending technologies announced today the expansion of its global digital content network into the UK academic publishing and textbook markets.   Through a strategic partnership with swotbooks.com, a leading UK academic Internet bookseller, OverDrive will increase broad market coverage and reselling of its Digital Content Marketplaces for UK publishers and booksellers.

Under terms of the agreement, the swotbooks.com eBookstore will launch in early spring 2002 powered by OverDrive.  OverDrive’s Digital Content Marketplaces feature solutions that provide a comprehensive clearinghouse for digital media and retail vending including inventory management, DRM, integrated shopping cart, credit card, order processing, reporting and auditing.

swotbooks.com will work with UK publishers to upload their titles into OverDrive’s Content Reserve, a global digital content clearinghouse with flexible DRM, licensing and packaging of premium media for distribution via multiple channels.   Content Reserve already has thousands of titles from leading UK publishers including Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Taylor & Francis, Lonely Planet and the UK divisions of HarperCollins Publishing, Random House, Penguin, John Wiley & Sons, McGraw-Hill and Time Warner Books.

swotbooks.com is the exclusive online bookseller for The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), the world’s largest central admissions service for higher education serving nearly 500,000 UK students every year and processing over 2.5 million applications.  Students using UCAS are able to buy their textbooks from swotbooks.com through a link on the UCAS website (www.ucas.com).  The OverDrive/swotbooks alliance coupled with the unique route to the academic market through the swotbooks and UCAS partnership opens up a direct channel for US publishers seeking to distribute their titles to UK college students and consumers.

“We’re delighted to be partnered with OverDrive to help bring their end-to-end retail and DRM solutions to the UK, as well as increase awareness, knowledge and adoption of eBooks to publishers and booksellers,” said David Taylor, Chairman and co-founder of swotbooks.  “Our alliance with swotbooks coupled with our expertise in the eBook and digital media space will help to reduce the hurdles that US publishers face when they want to break into UK academic and higher education markets,” stated Steve Potash, CEO of OverDrive.

 

About OverDrive, Inc.

OverDrive, Inc. (www.overdrive.com) is a leading provider of eBook, retail DRM and Digital Content Marketplaces enabling the secure management and distribution of digital media over global networks. As a strategic partner with Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Adobe Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBE), OverDrive delivers proven technology for trusted fulfillment and resale of premium content from the world’s leading media companies.   As a Principal Member of the Open eBook Forum (OeBF), OverDrive is strategically focused on driving specifications and standards for the emerging and rapidly evolving electronic publishing industry.  The company was founded in 1986, and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

About swotbooks.com

swotbooks.com (www.swotbooks.com) is a UK based online bookseller that is committed to utilizing new internet-based supply chains and emerging digital delivery mechanisms to bring down the cost of accessing published information for its core market – the academic and professional.  Founded in May 2000 by Raymond Gray, formerly Chief Executive of the Bertram Group, and David Taylor, formerly Director of Blackwell’s Book Services. Paul English, formerly Managing Director of leading library supplier, the Cypher Group, joined swotbooks in December 2000 as Chief Executive and completes a team of experienced and innovative book trade professionals who between them have over 30 years of experience in the UK and international book trade markets.

Contact:

Jennifer A. Jackson

OverDrive, Inc.

(216) 573-6886 ext. 207

jjackson@overdrive.com

 

David Taylor

swotbooks.com

Ph: +44 01993 774002

taylor@swotbooks.com

 

###