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

Sat Feb 14 06:20:46 UTC 2009

Well, according to copyright law:

"specialized formats" means -

(A) braille, audio, or digital text which is exclusively for use by blind or
other persons with disabilities; and

Amazon/publisher/author should be required by law to provide access to the
text-aloud option on the kindle for their books. Authors should have the
right to allow or deny the access to all people but be required to provide
it for blind (other print disabilities).

I personally think we should lobby for an amendment that specifies that all
publisher must allow text-to-speech options when they are available. It is
very frustrating when I ask about a digital copy of a book that I have
purchased for my use and provide documentation of blindness and am told that
they only give they file if you are a student. But we would be happy to sell
you a digital version of this book. Okay that was nice but they locked the
read aloud feature in adobe.

Why is it legally for a publisher to say I don't have a right to read a book
unless I can find a human volunteer because I can't afford to pay a reader
right now?

This boils down to the same thing when white men made it illegal to teach
black people to read.

Cindy

> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org 
> [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kelly Ford
> Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 10:43 AM
> To: NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] National Federation of the Blind 
> Responds to Authors Guild Statement on the Amazon Kindle 2
> 
> 
> Any quick web search should turn it up.  There is also a link 
> on the web site for the organization at 
> http://www.authorsguild.org/advocacy/articles/e-book-rights-al
> ert-amazons-kindle-2.html.
> 
> The last paragraph in that article talks about people with 
> visual impairments and says:
> 
> Reading to your kids note: A Wall Street Journal article 
> quoted a portion of an interview with Authors Guild executive 
> director Paul Aiken regarding the Kindle 2. The remarks have 
> been interpreted by some as suggesting that the Guild 
> believes that private out-loud reading is protected by 
> copyright. It isn't, unless the reading is being done by a 
> machine. And even out-loud reading by a machine is fine, of 
> course, if it's from an authorized audio copy. Others suggest 
> that challenging Amazon's use of this software challenges 
> accessibility to the visually impaired. It doesn't: Kindle 2 
> isn't designed for such use. The Guild continues to support 
> efforts to make works truly accessible to the visually impaired.
> 
> Kelly
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org 
> [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Darrell Shandrow
> Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 12:41 AM
> To: NFBnet NFBCS Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] National Federation of the Blind 
> Responds to Authors Guild Statement on the Amazon Kindle 2
> 
> How can we learn more about the original Author's Guild 
> statement? Does anyone have a link to it?
> 
> ----- 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 8:38 PM
> Subject: [nfbcs] 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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