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

Fri Feb 13 17:19:23 UTC 2009

That was my understanding too. It doesn't seem like they have a leg to stand
on.  

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Judith Bron
Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 7:00 AM
To: NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] National Federation of the Blind Responds to Authors
Guild Statement on the Amazon Kindle 2

The way I read this a person would have to purchase the book before it is
read aloud.  That means that the publisher, author and vendor get their
chunks of the total cost of the book.  I don' see the conflict or why the
authors aren't supporting it.  Judith
----- Original Message -----
From: "Freeh, Jessica (by way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)" 
<JFreeh at nfb.org>
To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:38 PM
Subject: [stylist] 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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