[blindlaw] National Federation of the Blind Responds to Authors Guild Statement on the Amazon Kindle 2

Fri Feb 13 15:58:52 UTC 2009

Good morning,

I think that is reasonable for an author to be able to treat the right  
to a printed version of their work separately than the rights to an  
audio version of their work.  However, it is also reasonable that  
visually impaired readers, or any otherwise textually impaired  
readers, be able to access a copy of the work in an accessible format.

I don't think that these two propositions are in conflict with each  
other.  When I was in school publishers would send me digital copies  
of their texts, while my classmates had to work with printed  
versions.  If I were to share the digital copy with a student who had  
purchased the printed version I would be violating copyright, as I was  
granted a license to use the digital copy myself, and not to share it  
with outhers.

Everett

On 13-Feb-09, at 9:54 AM, Locke Milholland wrote:

> * Moving your lips while reading in front of someone who can read  
> lips is therefore a copyright violation.
> * allowing someone to read over your shoulder is a copyright  
> violation.
> *Sitting on the beach and reading with reflective mirrored  
> sunglasses is a copyright violation.
> *remembering what you read, is a copyright violation, if over 100  
> words and/or not properly cited.
>
> Future litigation:
> Timex v. guy who answered when asked for the time.
> Rand Mcnally v. guy who gave directions
> MLB v. guy who told his friend the score without the expressed  
> written consent of Major League Baseball and its affiliates
>
> Common sense v. copyright holders.
> Locke
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Freeh,Jessica (by way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)" <JFreeh at nfb.org 
> >
> Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:38 PM
> To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [blindlaw] National Federation of the Blind Responds to  
> Authors Guild Statement on the Amazon Kindle 2
>
>> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>>
>> CONTACT:
>> Chris Danielsen
>> Director of Public Relations
>> National Federation of the Blind
>> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
>> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
>> <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
>>
>> National Federation of the Blind Responds to Authors Guild
>> Statement on the Amazon Kindle 2
>>
>> Baltimore, Maryland (February 12, 2009): The National Federation of  
>> the Blind, the largest organization of blind people in the United  
>> States, today responded to a statement put out by the Authors Guild  
>> advising its members to consider negotiating contracts prohibiting  
>> e-books to be read aloud by the new Amazon Kindle 2, which  
>> incorporates text-to-speech technology. The Authors Guild argues  
>> that the reading of a book out loud by a machine is a copyright  
>> infringement unless the copyright holder has specifically granted  
>> permission for the book to be read aloud.
>>
>> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,  
>> said: "The National Federation of the Blind supports all  
>> technologies that allow blind people to have better access to the  
>> printed word, including the ability of devices like the Kindle 2 to  
>> read commercial e-books aloud using text-to-speech technology.  
>> Although the Authors Guild claims that it supports making books  
>> accessible to the blind, its position on the inclusion of text-to- 
>> speech technology in the Kindle 2 is harmful to blind people. The  
>> Authors Guild says that having a book read aloud by a machine in  
>> the privacy of one's home or vehicle is a copyright infringement.  
>> But blind people routinely use readers, either human or machine, to  
>> access books that are not available in alternative formats like  
>> Braille or audio. Up until now, no one has argued that this is  
>> illegal, but now the Authors Guild says that it is. This is  
>> absolutely wrong. The blind and other readers have the right for  
>> books to be presented to us in the format that is most useful to  
>> us, and we are not violating copyright law as long as we use  
>> readers, either human or machine, for private rather than public  
>> listening. The key point is that reading aloud in private is the  
>> same whether done by a person or a machine, and reading aloud in  
>> private is never an infringement of copyright.
>>
>> "Amazon has taken a step in the right direction by including text- 
>> to-speech technology for reading e-books aloud on its new Kindle  
>> 2," Dr. Maurer continued. "We note, however, that the device itself  
>> cannot be used independently by a blind reader because the controls  
>> to download a book and begin reading it aloud are visual and  
>> therefore inaccessible to the blind. We urge Amazon to rectify this  
>> situation as soon as possible in order to make the Kindle 2 a  
>> device that truly can be used both by blind and sighted readers. By  
>> doing so, Amazon will make it possible for blind people to purchase  
>> a new book and begin reading it immediately, just as sighted people  
>> do."
>>
>>
>>
>> ###
>>
>>
>>
>> About the National Federation of the Blind
>>
>> With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind  
>> is the largest and most influential membership organization of  
>> blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people's  
>> lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and  
>> programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the  
>> leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the  
>> nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National  
>> Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and  
>> training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
>>
>>
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>
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