[A2k] Release: Reading Rights Coalition Urges Authors to Allow Everyone Access to E-books

[Jeffrey A. Williams]

Claude and all,

  Good for Cory!  Well done!  I hope the PM Gordon Brown
and Barack read it soon!  In any event I'll forward it to
Rhams blackberry this evening....

Claude Almansi wrote:

> PS - and on the problems and worries caused by the Kindle's digital
> protections, Cory Doctorow just published an article in the Guardian:
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Cory Doctorow <doctorow@craphound.com>
> Date: Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 11:45 AM
> Subject: [Doctorow] Column: Why text-to-speech isn't the main event on
> the Kindle
>
> My latest Guardian column, "Authors have lost the plot in Kindle
> battle," argues that the Authors' Guild is nuts to focus on the
> text-to-speech feature, and should really be paying attention to the
> fact that it's apparently possible to remotely disable features in the
> ebook reader.
>
> > Maybe I'm right and maybe I'm wrong, but the important thing is, we don=
't need new theories about copyright law to test the proposition. The exist=
ing, totally non-controversial aspect of copyright law that says, "Amazon c=
an't publish and sell my book without my permission" covers the territory n=
icely.
> >
> > But while we were all running our mouths about the plausibility of the =
singularity emerging from Amazon's text-to-speech R&D, a much juicier issue=
 was escaping our notice: it is technically possible for Amazon to switch o=
ff the text-to-speech feature for some or all books.
> >
> > That's a hell of a thing, isn't it? Now that Amazon has agreed with the=
 Authors Guild that text-to-speech will only be switched on for authors who=
 sign a contract permitting it, we should all be goggling in amazement at t=
he idea that this can be accomplished.
>
> Authors have lost the plot in Kindle battle:
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/mar/31/cory-doctorow-kindle
> - --
> Cory Doctorow
> doctorow@craphound.com
>
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>
> Join my mailing list and find out about upcoming books, stories,
> articles and appearances:
>
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>
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