Hi. My brother forwarded this message to me. I, for one, am glad of the
news.
Ted Chittenden
>From: "David" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Fw: AFB Celebrates DMCA Exemption
>Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 16:25:30 -0800
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Janina Sajka" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>; "[log in to unmask]"
><[log in to unmask]>; <[log in to unmask]>;
><[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 1:53 PM
>Subject: AFB Celebrates DMCA Exemption
>
>
> >
> > http://63.240.118.132/info_document_view.asp?DocumentID=1979
> >
> >
> > Librarian of Congress ruling is
>victory
>for people who are blind or visually impaired
> >
> > American Foundation for the
>Blind celebrates improved access to eBooks
> >
> > November 4, 2003 (Washington)--The Librarian of Congress issued a
>ruling last week supporting the right of people who are blind or visually
>impaired
> > to gain full access to electronic books (eBooks). The ruling provides
>an exemption to the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act DMCA), making it
> > legal
> > to circumvent any encrypted or protected features that render the
>text
>inaccessible for the specialized computer technologies used by people who
>are
> > blind or visually
>impaired to read electronic text.
> >
> > "This ruling upholds the fundamental right to read for all people,"
>said Carl Augusto, President of the American Foundation for the Blind
>(AFB).
>"The
> > emerging electronic book technologies have the potential to make
>published information more accessible and usable to people who are blind or
>visually
> > impaired. By removing barriers to utilizing eBooks, the
>Library ensured all people can continue to enjoy the benefits of progress."
> >
> > This ruling is the result of a concerted advocacy effort by AFB to
>bring this issue to the attention of the Librarian of Congress. AFB
>originally
> > requested the exemption in December 2002, and later provided
>testimony and evidence to show that approximately 50 percent of currently
>published
> > eBooks are inaccessible for
>people who are blind and visually impaired.
> >
> > "This is a major victory, but there is more work to do," continued
>Augusto. "AFB will continue to work with Congress, the Librarian and
>publishers to
> > ensure future titles are fully
>accessible
>for people who are blind or visually impaired."
> >
> > DMCA, which became U.S. law in 1998, makes it a felony to
>develop
>or use technology to get around security provisions of various classes of
> > intellectual property including
>software, ebooks, DVD movies and audio, among others.
> >
> > The Librarians ruling provides an exemption for: "Literary works
>distributed in eBook format when all existing eBook editions of the work
>(including
> > digital text editions made available by authorized entities) contain
>access controls that prevent the enabling of the eBook's read-aloud
>function
>and
> > the enabling of screen readers to
>render the text into a specialized format."
> >
> > Additional information about the DMCA and on this ruling,
>including
>copies of all testimony, can be found on line at, www.copyright.gov/1201/.
> >
> >
>***
> >
> >
>Contact:
> >
>Carrie Fernandez
> > AFB
>Communications
> > 212-502-7674
>or
>[10][log in to unmask]
> >
> >
>November 2003
> >
> >
>____________________________________________________________________________
>__________________________________________________________________________
> >
> > Published: 11-4-03
> >
> > Or use traditional mail services:
> > American Foundation for the Blind
> > 11 Penn Plaza
> > Suite 300
> > New York, NY, 10001, USA
> >
> >
>____________________________________________________________________________
>__________________________________________________________________________
> >
> >
>
>
>
>--
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>
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