[Nmabs] National Federation of the Blind Endorses Google Books Settlement Before Congress

[Andrew English (paper music)]

Friends,
    This is indeed wonderful news! 
    With Amazon allowing individual publishers to disable the text-to-speech function on the Kindle apparatus, at their whim (obviously to boost sales of audiobooks), this is a wonderful development. 
    Perhaps we can enfluence the music publishers to make their classical music libraries available. The digital revolution is upon us. It's time that all the collective knowledge of mankind be available to all mankind. I understand the need to retain intellectual property rights for composers still alive or with family legacy rights, but there's no reason why every Bach or Mozart or Beethoven or Chopin piece shouldn't be available to anyone who needs it, regardless of "copyright-able" editorial notes. It's disappointing to me that I can't offer a Beethoven Piano concerto in braille-ready format for download on my website simple because my transcription is from the "Peters" edition, even without the editorial notes. Editorial variontions or not, the actual musical notes still belong to Herr Beethoven, et al., and we should not be able to restrict this valuable legacy.
    Keep the pressure on! 
    Yours,
    Andy English
www.papermusic.org
Music Transcription and Consultation Services
    -Andy English
www.papermusic.org
Music Transcription and Consultation Services
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Freeh,Jessica (by way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>) 
  To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org 
  Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2009 5:07 PM
  Subject: [Nmabs] National Federation of the Blind Endorses Google Books Settlement Before Congress


  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


  National Federation of the Blind
  Endorses Google Books Settlement Before Congress



  Urges Justice Department to Support Settlement
   

  Washington, DC (September 10, 2009): The National Federation of the Blind, the nation's oldest and largest organization of blind people and the leading advocate for access by the blind to digital information, testified before the House Judiciary Committee today that the proposed settlement between Google and authors and publishers regarding the Google Books project should be approved.  The Google Books settlement will make millions of titles available to the blind and other Americans with print disabilities, providing more access to the printed word than the blind have had in all of human history.

   

  Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, told the House Judiciary Committee: "The Google settlement is, for the blind and many others, the next step in the democratization of knowledge.  That process began with the introduction of the printing press and then, for the blind, with the invention of Braille.  Now technology is available that transcends the traditional limitations of both print and Braille, promising to make millions of titles available to the blind in Braille or any other format of our choice.  The narrow business interests of Google's competitors must not be allowed to block Americans who cannot read print from all of the opportunities that greater access to written knowledge will make available to them.  It is time for the doors of the world's great libraries to be opened and welcome to everyone."

   

  The National Federation of the Blind also urged the United States Department of Justice, which is reviewing the terms of the settlement, to support the agreement. 

    

  "The Google Books settlement is a major step forward in advancing the civil rights of blind Americans and others who cannot read print because it substantially increases our opportunities for education and employment," President Maurer said.  "The Justice Department, which is tasked with protecting the civil rights of all Americans, should respect the agreement of the parties to the settlement and allow its access provisions to be fully implemented.  In doing so, the government will send a strong message that it values the participation of the blind in society and believes that we should have access to all of the information to which our sighted friends and colleagues have access."  




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