[Nfbsatx] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] Librarian of Congress Says Blind Have Right to Access E-books

[Jose Martinez]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:54:34 -0500
Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Librarian of Congress Says Blind Have
Right to Access E-books
To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

cdanielsen at nfb.org

Librarian of Congress Says Blind Have Right to Access E-books
National Federation of the Blind Commends Copyright Ruling
Baltimore, Maryland (July 27, 2010): The National Federation of the
Blind, the oldest nationwide organization of blind Americans and the
leading advocate
for access to digital information by the blind, commented today on
the renewal of a ruling from the Librarian of Congress that allows
the circumvention
of digital rights management (DRM) technology by blind people seeking
equal access to e-books.  The ruling states that one of the
circumstances in which
circumvention of technology that limits access to copyrighted works
is not a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is:
"literary works
distributed in ebook format when all existing ebook editions of the
work (including digital text editions made available by authorized
entities) contain
access controls that prevent the enabling either of the book's
read-aloud function or of screen readers that render the text into a
specialized format."

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: "The National Federation of the Blind commends the Librarian of
Congress for recognizing
the right of blind Americans to obtain equal access to the
information contained in digital books.  It is the position of the
National Federation of the
Blind that blind people have the right to access content for which
they have paid or which they have otherwise legally obtained, just
like all other readers.
We are pleased that the Librarian of Congress sees matters in the
same way.  The e-book industry, however, has largely failed to
recognize our rights.
The Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader, and other
e-book reading devices and applications still remain inaccessible to
us, and we have yet
to see accessible e-book readers and content from those who have
promised them.  At this time, Apple products that can access the
company's iBooks are
the only mainstream e-book devices accessible to blind readers.  The
National Federation of the Blind will continue to use every means at
our disposal
to secure the right of blind Americans to access the same books at
the same time and at the same price as all other consumers.  We will
stand for nothing
less."

###

About the National Federation of the Blind

With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind
(NFB) 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.



                         David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com
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