Quote:
Originally Posted by QuantumIguana
They aren't making copies, they are just reading. I can't do anything about Belgium's copyright laws, but I would resist this as strongly as possible if it was attempted in the US.
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Copyright in the US includes control of the right "in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works, to perform the copyrighted work publicly."
Copyrighted plays can't be performed without permission (usually, a license); neither can copyrighted books--and there's no rule that says "public performance" has to mean "acting out with props on a stage." Reading a work aloud for anyone in the public to listen to can easily be interpreted as a "public performance."
The counter-argument is that it's an educational use--that it's not only teaching children often not comfortable with reading (or not able to read) the contents of the book, but the concept that books are good things and worth their interest.
But who'd win in court depends on who has the better lawyers: a public library or a publishing house.