[Dtb-talk] NLS and copyright

[Greg Kearney]

I should make it clear that I have no objection to copyright law or to  
following such. The copyright act is what makes it possible to offer  
these kinds of services. I do think that the NLS has over interpreted  
what was required under the act but that is their decision I guess.

Where this has an unintended  impact is in international cooperation.  
DAISY was meant to be a world wide standard such that books produced  
in one location could be used by people world wide without having to  
alter formats to do so.

We all have restrictions on our users which is universal in the  
special libraries world. Even here in Western Australia where we have  
perhaps the most liberal policy of giving the public access to our  
public domain collections we still require proof of disability before  
we are able to loan copyrighted works.

International users require the non-DRM versions of NLS books because  
at this point in time it is not even possible for libraries serving  
the blind to buy a NLS player from Plextor which makes them. I know as  
we are trying to buy some of those players without any luck so far.


Gregory Kearney
Manager - Accessible Media
Association for the Blind of Western Australia
61 Kitchener Avenue, PO Box 101
Victoria Park 6979, WA Australia

Telephone: +61 (08) 9311 8202
Telephone: +1 (307) 224-4022 (North America)
Fax: +61 (08) 9361 8696
Toll free: 1800 658 388 (Australia only)
Email: gkearney at gmail.com

On 13/12/2009, at 11:50 AM, Kurt Edwin Yount wrote:

> It should be noted that without the copyright that NLS used none of  
> these
> books that we remember would have been recorded because as the program
> was originallly imagined it was only meant for the blind, although  
> it ran
> the gambit from 33/1/3 to cassettes.  If you remember those days  
> when it
> said solely for the use of the blind it was always like that.  I
> understand how people outside the US would not want DRM protection,  
> but I
> also understand that it is an extremely valuable resource for those  
> who
> for years had little to read except braille.  I still treasure it,  
> even
> as I am sad that others outside the US cannot have access.  Remember  
> also
> that RNIB in England and I forget the one in Canada, CNIB I think also
> had restriction on borrowing previliges and still do.  Kurt
>
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