Verne books are freebies for publishers, since European and U.S. law puts previously published work into the public domain 70 years after an author's death.
The appointment comes in the wake of a European Union law, passed last week, mandating that 40% of corporate boards at publicEuropean companies be women.
Ministers insist they are acting in accordance with both UK, Scottish and European legislation and that measures which relate to public health, social problems and crime are exempt from competition law.