This can't possibly be true, can it?

webba84 · 07-04-2010, 05:47 AM

So I'm rather new to this whole ebook thing but very enthusiastic about it since I'm a regular traveller and a compulsive reader it's a perfect way to drag my collection of books around without requiring a sizable portable library. I've been more or less capable of accepting most of the things I've seen in this growing industry, even though some of them aren't ideal, but today I ran into something that left even my usual cynical self truly amazed.

I was looking around online for some of my favorite books in ebook format and was at this webpage: Overdrive Search, when I noticed the helpful little box detailing the legal restrictions of the adobe drm. For those who couldn't be bothered to go to the link it says the following:
Digital Rights:
Adobe EPUB eBook Rights
Copying not allowed
Printing not allowed
Lending not allowed
Reading aloud not allowed

I have never in my life seen a list that progressed so quickly to the truly surreal ridiculousness of the last item on this one. I'm sorry, is it really true that if I purchase this book I have not purchased the right to read it aloud? Even to myself? If I read it to my nephew are the though police going to be on their way round to pay me a visit? I could go on but it's really not worth it, right now I just feel like sitting in my house and waiting for them to cut off the oxygen because I shared some of it with my neighbor, or perhaps they can cut off the sunlight since I had the temerity to enjoy it with a friend.

Somebody please tell me that website is wrong before I despair of ever glimpsing even a semi-rational world.
Thank you for listening.

nashira · 07-04-2010, 05:57 AM

That's referring to the "read aloud" feature some e-readers/ebook software has, I believe.

Still stupid, though.

HarryT · 07-04-2010, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webba84

I'm sorry, is it really true that if I purchase this book I have not purchased the right to read it aloud? Even to myself?

No, you misunderstand it. Some reading devices have a "text to speech" capability, whereby they will read a book out loud (in a very "robotic" voice). This licence restriction means that this capability is disabled for this particular book.

webba84 · 07-04-2010, 06:01 AM

Right, really great for blind people I'm sure...

edit: and in any case, why for the love of all that is rational? How is the read aloud feature possibly going to be used to infringe on their copyright? Anymore than an actual person reading it aloud could be?

HarryT · 07-04-2010, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webba84

Right, really great for blind people I'm sure...

It's not about copyright; it's about whether the publisher has purchased "audio rights" for the book.

afa · 07-04-2010, 06:03 AM

Don't despair, webba84, it's not preventing you from reading out loud to your nephew. It's basically saying that functions like the Kindle's text-to-speech are not allowed. I imagine it's because that would be encroaching into the category of audiobooks.

*EDIT*
Whoops. I see Harry already answered the question...

webba84 · 07-04-2010, 06:04 AM

contractual rights can go shove it ...
I'm sorry, I'm far to angry right now to respond with the politeness you deserve. Thank you all for answering my question, it is a slight relief, at least.

edit: also you have to admit it's pretty funny the way it's been written there. There has to be a better way to phrase that...

nashira · 07-04-2010, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webba84

contractual rights can go shove it ...
I'm sorry, I'm far to angry right now to respond with the politeness you deserve. Thank you all for answering my question, it is a slight relief, at least.

edit: also you have to admit it's pretty funny the way it's been written there. There has to be a better way to phrase that...

You're right. It'd be quicker for them if they just wrote: eBook Rights: Not Allowed!

Iphinome · 07-04-2010, 06:26 AM

Harry I have to disagree. The publisher wouldn't need audio rights to allow text to speech software any more than they'd need it to allow someoen to read aloud from a book. They're in no way distributing an audiobook.

If you let the kindle read to you you might not buy the audiobook therefore to protect the audobook industry you must take away people's rights to use their hardware any way they want to.

Well unless you honestly believe there's goign to be a significant number of people sitting with an old cassette recorder taping the kindle tell a story. That would be taking piracy paranoia just a tad far yes?

HarryT · 07-04-2010, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iphinome

Harry I have to disagree. The publisher wouldn't need audio rights to allow text to speech software any more than they'd need it to allow someoen to read aloud from a book. They're in no way distributing an audiobook.

The reason these rights are disabled is because there was an authors' association in the US which threatened legal action when TTS first appeared in ebook readers because they believed that their sales of separate audio rights was infringed by this technology. So blame the authors, not the producer of the ebook.

Iphinome · 07-04-2010, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The reason these rights are disabled is because there was an authors' association in the US which threatened legal action when TTS first appeared in ebook readers because they believed that their sales of separate audio rights was infringed by this technology. So blame the authors, not the producer of the ebook.

Okay I'll blame them. Ridiculous abuse of the legal system. Akin to the publishers of large print books suing the makers of magnifying glasses for infringing.

Moejoe · 07-04-2010, 07:32 AM

Thank the Authors Guild for this mess.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/28...or-publishers/

HarryT · 07-04-2010, 07:33 AM

Thank you - those are the people I was referring to, but I couldn't remember the name.

Moejoe · 07-04-2010, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thank you - those are the people I was referring to, but I couldn't remember the name.

I thought it was the WGA at first, but then I did a search and all I could find was the windows genuine validation tool.

obs20 · 07-04-2010, 07:49 AM

It gets crazier!

[quote deleted by moderator]

Sorry, obs20, you can report what someone else has said in another article, but you can't just copy the entire article without permission - that's copyright infringement.

[Moderator]

07-04-2010, 05:47 AM	#1
webba84 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 58 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: The World Device: Boox 60 aka Bebook Neo	This can't possibly be true, can it? So I'm rather new to this whole ebook thing but very enthusiastic about it since I'm a regular traveller and a compulsive reader it's a perfect way to drag my collection of books around without requiring a sizable portable library. I've been more or less capable of accepting most of the things I've seen in this growing industry, even though some of them aren't ideal, but today I ran into something that left even my usual cynical self truly amazed. I was looking around online for some of my favorite books in ebook format and was at this webpage: Overdrive Search, when I noticed the helpful little box detailing the legal restrictions of the adobe drm. For those who couldn't be bothered to go to the link it says the following: Digital Rights: Adobe EPUB eBook Rights Copying not allowed Printing not allowed Lending not allowed Reading aloud not allowed I have never in my life seen a list that progressed so quickly to the truly surreal ridiculousness of the last item on this one. I'm sorry, is it really true that if I purchase this book I have not purchased the right to read it aloud? Even to myself? If I read it to my nephew are the though police going to be on their way round to pay me a visit? I could go on but it's really not worth it, right now I just feel like sitting in my house and waiting for them to cut off the oxygen because I shared some of it with my neighbor, or perhaps they can cut off the sunlight since I had the temerity to enjoy it with a friend. Somebody please tell me that website is wrong before I despair of ever glimpsing even a semi-rational world. Thank you for listening.

07-04-2010, 07:49 AM	#15
obs20 Wizard Posts: 2,782 Karma: 29028512 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Florida Device: Sony PRS 600, Nook ST, Toshiba Excite 10.1 AT 300	It gets crazier! [quote deleted by moderator] Sorry, obs20, you can report what someone else has said in another article, but you can't just copy the entire article without permission - that's copyright infringement. [Moderator] Last edited by HarryT; 07-04-2010 at 07:52 AM.

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07-04-2010, 05:57 AM	#2
nashira Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 73734 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Paperwhite	That's referring to the "read aloud" feature some e-readers/ebook software has, I believe. Still stupid, though.

07-04-2010, 06:01 AM	#4
webba84 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 58 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: The World Device: Boox 60 aka Bebook Neo	Right, really great for blind people I'm sure... edit: and in any case, why for the love of all that is rational? How is the read aloud feature possibly going to be used to infringe on their copyright? Anymore than an actual person reading it aloud could be?

07-04-2010, 06:03 AM	#6
afa The Forgotten Posts: 1,136 Karma: 4689999 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Dubai Device: Kindle Paperwhite; Nook HD; Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	Don't despair, webba84, it's not preventing you from reading out loud to your nephew. It's basically saying that functions like the Kindle's text-to-speech are not allowed. I imagine it's because that would be encroaching into the category of audiobooks. EDIT Whoops. I see Harry already answered the question...

07-04-2010, 06:04 AM	#7
webba84 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 58 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: The World Device: Boox 60 aka Bebook Neo	contractual rights can go shove it ... I'm sorry, I'm far to angry right now to respond with the politeness you deserve. Thank you all for answering my question, it is a slight relief, at least. edit: also you have to admit it's pretty funny the way it's been written there. There has to be a better way to phrase that...

07-04-2010, 06:26 AM	#9
Iphinome Paladin of Eris Posts: 3,119 Karma: 20849349 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: USAland Device: Kindle 10	Harry I have to disagree. The publisher wouldn't need audio rights to allow text to speech software any more than they'd need it to allow someoen to read aloud from a book. They're in no way distributing an audiobook. If you let the kindle read to you you might not buy the audiobook therefore to protect the audobook industry you must take away people's rights to use their hardware any way they want to. Well unless you honestly believe there's goign to be a significant number of people sitting with an old cassette recorder taping the kindle tell a story. That would be taking piracy paranoia just a tad far yes?

07-04-2010, 07:32 AM	#12
Moejoe Banned Posts: 5,100 Karma: 72193 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: South of the Border Device: Coffin	Thank the Authors Guild for this mess. http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/28...or-publishers/

07-04-2010, 07:33 AM	#13
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Thank you - those are the people I was referring to, but I couldn't remember the name.