[A2k] Beneblog: Technology Meets Society: Accessibility and ACTA

[Manon Ress]

http://benetech.blogspot.com/2009/11/accessibility-and-acta.html

Sunday, November 15, 2009
Accessibility and ACTA
Brief Comments on Accessibility Concerns on the Anti-Counterfeiting
Trade Agreement (ACTA)

The disability community should be concerned about ACTA for two reasons:

    1. At its core it=92s an anti-piracy agreement. The digital measures
designed to defeat piracy usually end up equating accessibility with
piracy.
    2. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is being
negotiated in secret. We don=92t know if it=92s benign or hostile to
accessibility.


Accessibility of digital media has been repeatedly and systematically
denied because of digital measures to =93protect=94 content. People with
disabilities are repeatedly left out in the cold because accessibility
concerns don=92t rank high on tech company priority lists. A great (bad)
example is Adobe, one of the leading ebook technology vendors, who
just introduced their Digital Editions. Unfortunately, although
accessibility was in the prior Adobe product, the Digital Rights
Management (DRM) of Digital Editions locks out print disabled people.

The interests that sponsor provisions like those mooted about the
secret ACTA provisions, tend to be anti-innovation, with strong focus
on control. These approaches usually lock out people with
disabilities. Provisions designed to handle copyrighted materials
could conflict with fundamental exceptions in copyright law like fair
use of copyrighted works and the Chafee Amendment. Do we want people
with disabilities, volunteers or teachers losing their internet access
without due process because they were handling copyrighted materials
in ways that are permitted today in the U.S.?

The secret nature of the negotiations is disturbing. Why have a World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)? Why have a legislature? Why
have public decision-making? Citizen engagement is a core value of the
Obama Administration. What makes the ACTA an exception? The contention
that piracy of movies, music and books is a national security issue
that necessitates secrecy is implausible to say the least (but it=92s
the current Administration excuse).

Disability advocates should, at minimum, press for a seat at the ACTA
table. Far better would be the open accessible public policy process
we=92re used to, not secret negotiations that are likely to cause
substantial collateral damage to people with disabilities.
Posted by Jim Fruchterman at 6:33 PM
***************************************************************************
Manon Ress
manon.ress@keionline.org
Knowledge Ecology International
1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Fax: +1.202.332.2673