[blindlaw] Why the Authors Guild Is Off-Base About the Kindle 2

Tue Mar 3 01:36:43 UTC 2009

The Kindle 2 and its inevitable imitations will be really good for us.

On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 2:04 PM, Rovig, Lorraine <LRovig at nfb.org> wrote:

> FYI... Two well-reasoned blogs.  1. FW: Canadian copyright lawyer
> deplores Kindle 2 move by Amazon and authors; and
>
>  2. Why the Authors Guild Is Off-Base About the Kindle 2
>
> ________________________________
>
>
>
> 1.
>
> Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 11:24 AM
> Subject: Canadian copyright lawyer deplores Kindle 2 move by Amazon and
> authors
>
>
>
> >From a Google Alert:
>
> EXCESS COPYRIGHT: Amazon Caves on Kindle
> <http://excesscopyright.blogspot.com/2009/03/amazon-caves-on-kindle.html
> >
> By Howard Knopf
> This is tough luck for the blind, for all consumers and for innovative
> technology. Amazon owes a better explanation. There may be a "Kindle
> Swindle" underway here - but it's the public interest that appears to be
> the most obvious victim ...
> EXCESS COPYRIGHT - http://excesscopyright.blogspot.com/
> <http://excesscopyright.blogspot.com/>
>
> URL to Canadian copyright lawyer's blog:
>
> http://excesscopyright.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00%3A0
> 0%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=4
> 3
>
>
>
>
>
> 2.
>
> NOTE: The author of this blog is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing,
> one of the top book publishers in the US.
>
>
>
> From: On Behalf Of Michael Hyatt
> Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 10:03 AM
> To: Rovig, Lorraine
> Subject: Michael Hyatt's Blog
>
>
>
>
> Michael Hyatt's Blog <http://michaelhyatt.com>
>
>
>
>
>
> Why the Authors Guild Is Off-Base About the Kindle 2
> <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/michaelhyatt/~3/7GOPKTwSPss/why-the-auth
> ors-guild-is-off-base-about-the-kindle-2.html>
>
> Posted: 02 Mar 2009 04:00 AM PST
>
> As you may know, the Amazon Kindle 2
> <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154JDAI?tag=fwis-20>  has the
> ability to read books out loud. The text is read by the computer, so it
> doesn't come close to a true audio book read by the author or an actor.
> However, I have found it to be surprisingly useful.
>
> For example, last week when I received my new Kindle 2, I wanted to read
> through the user's manual. (I know, I am one of those kind of people.)
> So, early one morning, I started reading in the conventional way-at
> least conventional for an eBook.
>
> Eventually, it was time to get ready for the day. But rather than
> closing the book, I turned on the text-to-speech function and listened
> to the book while I shaved. The Kindle started reading at the top of the
> current page and continued until I stopped it. When I finished getting
> ready, I resumed my normal reading, at exactly the point the
> text-to-speech function had stopped. Amazing.
>
> But surprisingly, Ray Blout, Jr., the president of the Authors Guild,
> argued last week in the New York Times
> <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/opinion/25blount.html?_r=1>  that
> Amazon's text-to-speech function is an infringement of the rights
> holders' "audio rights." Personally, I don't think this argument is
> valid, nor is it in the best interests of authors or publishers to
> maintain this position.
>
> As Amazon itself has argued
> <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/amazon-backs-off-text-to-speec
> h-feature-in-kindle/> , no audio is recorded. In principle, it is no
> different than me handing my book to a friend and asking him to read it
> aloud to me. Nothing is recorded. Nothing is performed. In fact, reading
> the book aloud is only made possible because I bought the print (or in
> this case digital) version of the book.
>
> >From my point-of-view, this feature is actually an added value that
> serves to make reading more accessible by more people in more
> situations. It also enables me to get through the book more quickly, so
> I can go buy more books. This, at a time, when, quite frankly, reading
> needs all the help it can get.
>
> Unfortunately, as Seth Godin <http://sethgodin.typepad.com/> , himself a
> bestselling author, argued yesterday
> <http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/03/beware-of-trade-guilds-
> maintaining-the-status-quo.html> , trade associations like the Authors
> Guild often hurt their own members by attempting to preserve the status
> quo. Instead, they should be celebrating this innovation and working to
> facilitate it. In the end, I personally believe Amazon's text-to-speech
> function will only help to drive more book sales for everyone.
>
> Sadly for the industry, Amazon backed off its original position
> <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/amazon-backs-off-text-to-speec
> h-feature-in-kindle/> . It will now allow publishers to "turn off" the
> text-to-speech function on a title-by-title basis. Ultimately, this will
> only hurt readers and eventually authors and publishers.
>
> In the meantime, we at Thomas Nelson intend to leave the feature on. If
> other publishers turn it off, great. It will only serve to give us-and
> our authors-a competitive advantage.
>
> Related posts:
>
> 1.       More Details on the Amazon Kindle
> <http://michaelhyatt.com/2007/11/more-details-on-the-amazon-kindle.html>
>
>
> 2.       The New Amazon Kindle 2 Unboxed
> <http://michaelhyatt.com/2009/02/the-new-amazon-kindle-2-unboxed.html>
>
> 3.       Kindle: First Impressions
> <http://michaelhyatt.com/2007/11/kindle-first-impressions.html>
>
> 4.       The Book 2.0 <http://michaelhyatt.com/2007/11/the-book-20.html>
>
>
> 5.       Advice to First-Time Authors
> <http://michaelhyatt.com/2008/08/advice-to-first.html>
>
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