Quote:
Originally Posted by bkilian
Aah, but the one thing you all have not taken into account is that there is a specific exemption to the DMCA in the US relating to eBooks.
From http://www.copyright.gov/1201/2006/index.html
Note that, amusingly, it doesn't say that you have to need the read-aloud or screenreader tech, it simply states that it's legal if there are no versions of the ebook that support that tech. (almost all DRM ebooks will disable those features, since it allows a simple accessibility app to grab all the text otherwise).
It also does not state how one determines whether _all_ versions of the book don't support screen readers. I suspect you could credibly argue that since that feature is not listed by the bookseller, and since you cannot check the book before buying it, that it would be an economic hardship to determine if every other version was also restrictive, and since publishers tend to keep the same rules across formats, a single restrictive ebook would indicate a high probability that all editions would be restrictive. |
I like this! But note that the exemption in question expired in October of 2009. I'm not sure if it's been renewed.