Harry Potter breaks e-book lockdown

(AP) -- The Harry Potter books are finally on sale in electronic form, and they have a special magical touch to them: In a break with industry practices, the books aren't locked down by encryption, which means consumers can move them between devices and read them anywhere they like.

If "Pottermore," J.K. Rowling's new Web store, proves a success, it could provide a model for other authors and publishers and undermine the clout of Amazon.com Inc., which dominates e-book sales.

E-books from major publishers are sold in encrypted form today, tying them to specific devices or software programs. Publishers insist on encryption because they believe it stops piracy. It also helps e-book retailers like Amazon defend their business models, keeping non-Amazon books off Kindle e-readers.

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