Book Scanning - Scan your library into PDF docs for your tablet.

Living space is a privilege possessed by few Japanese residents. Additionally, the space to collect works of fiction and non in their hard cover forms is an even rarer privilege. The Japanese therefore are cutting up their hard covers, and scanning their books into PDF docs to be stored and read on their tablet devices.

Intellectual Property lawyers close your eyes, Japanese firms like BookScan http://www.bookscan.co.jp/ will digitize your book for 100 yen, or $1.22 - even scanning and reproducing your highlighting and scribbled notes.

Bookscan now has 140 employees and about 12,000 customers. Bookscan is by no means unique, it is estimated that there are now 60 companies digitizing books across Japan.

For more on this read: In Cramped Japan, the iPad is the Home Library at http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_08/b4216033233882.htm