IP: -- make up your own mind -- more on Bookshare.org

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Please note affiliation:

Nancy C. Hanger - nhanger@windhaven.com - www.windhaven.com
    production manager, Baen Books (dist. by Simon & Schuster)

------ Forwarded Message
From: NC Hanger <nhanger@windhaven.com>
Date: Wed, 06 Mar 2002 21:53:08 -0500
To: <farber@cis.upenn.edu>
Subject: Re: IP: Bookshare.org

Dave,

How interesting that bookshare.org comes up on the IP list now, as many of
the author and publishing lists to which I belong are also discussing this
enterprise of Benetech's.

Many author groups, and publishers, are not sure of the "benefits" of
bookshare.org, as - unlike ebook publishing by standard companies - authors
are receiving no money at all for bookshare's copies "sold" to their
subscribers. In addition, other than providing "proof" of visual or reading
disability (no details of which are available from bookshare.org, leading
one to assume anyone could write a letter saying they are blind or
dyslexic), there are no safeguards in place preventing these simple text
files from being posted anywhere at anytime to anyone on the Net.

Neither authors nor publishers have been even asked if they wish to
participate in the "program." Books are being scanned without permission or
even consent due to this hole in the Copyright Act.

I'm not sure how I feel about it, myself. While providing text files for
voder or computer reading systems for the reading impaired is an admirable
idea, using a hole in the Copyright Act that robs authors of needed
royalties, while ignoring publishers (who are contacted for blind tape,
large print text, etc. versions, and often provide those rights for free or
little) is perhaps not the way to achieve it.

Best,
Nancy

~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nancy C. Hanger - nhanger@windhaven.com - www.windhaven.com
    production manager, Baen Books (dist. by Simon & Schuster)
    production manager, Seattle Book Company (www.seattlebookcompany.com)
    director, Windhaven: Editorial & Production Services
    freelance tech editor & writer
    member National Writers Union, Internet Press Guild, SFWA




------ End of Forwarded Message

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