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

[Homme, James]

Hi,
I'm sorry. I'm not an NFB member, but this message makes me want to run right out and join now. This is so ridiculous. My mother read "The Little Prince" to me when I was a kid. Was that a copyright infringement? These people really need to get a life. Man.

Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: nabentre-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabentre-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Freeh, Jessica
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:38 PM
To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nabentre] 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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