[Dtb-talk] National Federation of the Blind RespondstoAuthorsGuild Statement on the Amazon Kindle 2

Fri Feb 13 16:41:25 UTC 2009

The Kindle is a small, portable ebook reader device from amazon.com.  It
downloads books, in a proprietary format from amazon.com and allows a
sighted person to read them on its small screen.

Dave

David Andrews
Chief Technology Officer
Minnesota State Services for the Blind
2200 University Ave. W., #240
St. Paul, MN  55114-1840
(651) 642-0513  Office
(612) 730-7931  Cell
(651) 649-5927  Fax

>>> "Anthony Vece" <ajvece at verizon.net> 2/13/2009 9:26 AM >>>
   Pardon my ignorance but, what is Kindle and, how does it differ from
NLS 
or Bookshare.

Thanks

Anthony

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at comcast.net>
To: "'Discussion of Digital Talking Books'" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 9:37 AM
Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] National Federation of the Blind Responds 
toAuthorsGuild Statement on the Amazon Kindle 2

> Hi,
>
> Do you have contact details?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Warm Regards,
>
> Fred
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of rick watson
> Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 7:15 AM
> To: 'Discussion of Digital Talking Books'
> Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] National Federation of the Blind Responds to
> AuthorsGuild Statement on the Amazon Kindle 2
>
> Good morning listers,
> I would like to urge everyone to contact technical support for the
kindle
> and ask that the menus be made usable through the text-to-speech
engine.
> The technician whom I spoke with said that he would pass along this
> information. This is an opportunity for us as visually impaired
people to
> get access to a wide range of books. There are currently 230000
books
> available for purchase on kindle's site.
> Rick
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Freeh, Jessica (by way of David Andrews
<dandrews at visi.com>)
> Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:38 PM
> To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org 
> Subject: [Dtb-talk] 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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