[nabs-l] Fw: [Vrstream] Fw: [fcb-l] FW: [acb-l] Stevie Wonder to UN: EaseCopyrights for theBlind

[Dezman Jackson]

Thought you all might be interested in this.

Dezman
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>; 
<vrstream at vrstreamusers.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 9:15 AM
Subject: [Vrstream] Fw: [fcb-l] FW: [acb-l] Stevie Wonder to UN: 
EaseCopyrights for theBlind


> Passing this along. Thought this was interesting!
>
> Sherri
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Edwards, Paul" <pedwards at mdc.edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 9:48 AM
> Subject: [fcb-l] FW: [acb-l] Stevie Wonder to UN: Ease Copyrights for 
> theBlind
>
>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: acb-l-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-l-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf Of 
>> John Heim
>> Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 9:46 AM
>> To: acb-l at acb.org
>> Subject: [acb-l] Stevie Wonder to UN: Ease Copyrights for the Blind
>>
>> Relevant to our recent discussion about people who have "made it".
>> --- 
>> Stevie Wonder to UN: Ease Copyrights for the Blind
>> GENEVA (AP) -- Stevie Wonder pressed global copyright overseers on Monday 
>> to
>> help blind and visually impaired people access millions of science, 
>> history
>> and other audiobooks, which they cannot read in electronic form.
>> The blind singer told the U.N.'s 184-nation World Intellectual Property
>> Organization that more than 300 million people who ''live in the dark'' 
>> want
>> to ''read their way into light,'' and the current copyright system denies
>> them an equal opportunity.
>>
>> The current legal framework means that institutes for the blind in 
>> different
>> countries may be required to make multiple audiobook versions of the same
>> work, said Richard Owens, WIPO's director of copyright and electronic
>> commerce.
>>
>> Owens said this leads to higher costs that are passed on to the 
>> listeners.
>> It also limits access to blind and partially blind people in poor 
>> countries,
>> which cannot afford to make their own versions of everything from science
>> textbooks to best-sellers, he said.
>>
>> The U.N. agency has been trying for six years to revamp its global 
>> copyright
>> framework so that it better accounts for new media, such as audiobooks. 
>> For
>> the blind and visually impaired, the goal is to create a clearinghouse so
>> that published material can be traded around the world and translated 
>> into
>> new, readable formats.
>>
>> But the problem of access for such copyrighted material goes to the heart 
>> of
>> a growing crisis in the world of copyright protection, as the Internet
>> increasingly muddies laws that were created for traditional media. 
>> Whereas
>> wide exceptions exist for books in Braille, WIPO officials say there is
>> confusion over how these benefits can be translated into the digital age.
>>
>> Proponents of a new agreement say the same benefits that digital books
>> provide most consumers -- lower costs and better storage and
>> accessibility -- should be extended to those with disabilities. The 
>> United
>> States and European nations that export large amounts of published 
>> material
>> are somewhat hesitant because of concerns over an erosion of intellectual
>> property rights, and want to avoid a binding treaty.
>>
>> Wonder called for a compromise and teased the diplomats.
>>
>> ''Please work it out. Or I'll have to write a song about what you didn't
>> do,'' said the 60-year-old singer known for such hits as ''Superstition''
>> and ''I Just Called to Say I Love You.''
>>
>> Complicating the talks are the demands of African countries, which are
>> seeking even larger copyright loopholes. They want their libraries and
>> academic institutions to be able to skip licensing agreements so that 
>> they
>> can provide audiobook access for larger communities.
>>
>> Wonder, who has sold tens of million of albums, said any agreement should
>> respect the authors ''who labor to create the great works that enlighten 
>> and
>> nourish our minds, hearts and souls.'' He insisted on a practical 
>> solution
>> so that blind and visually impaired people get ''the tools to think their
>> way out of poverty.''
>>
>>
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