E-book companies deal in security

Intellectual-property management company Reciprocal says it has inked a deal with electronic publisher RosettaBooks to sell secure e-books. Under the deal, out-of-print books published before 1985 will be made available to readers at the RosettaBooks Web site and, in the future, at other retailers, such as Amazon.com.

New York-based RosettaBooks says its titles--which can be downloaded onto the Microsoft Reader, Adobe e-Book Reader or Adobe Acrobat Reader formats--include William Styron's "Sophie's Choice," Pat Conroy's "Prince of Tides" and Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle." RosettaBooks also says it has partnered with Microsoft to feature RosettaBooks' edition of Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" at the Microsoft Reader Web site when it relaunches in mid-March.