02-12-2009, 06:50 PM | #61 | |
Reading is FUNdamental
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Protection of Potential Profit A little more PC... but I am not known for being PC. I just "calls it as I sees it". |
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02-12-2009, 07:42 PM | #62 |
Reborn Paper User
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I don't want to throw a rock in anybody's pond, but such a feature as computer read text is a part of "Microsoft Reader". Which means it can be used on any laptop... anywhere.
I am pretty sure MS lawyers have gone extently through every law concerning such rights. Writers have no grounds, especially if the have contracted books with MS. It would be interesting to know more about those agreements and if really there are reasons for authors to be concerned. That said, I hope writers can get more money. It's their creation afterall. |
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02-12-2009, 08:02 PM | #63 |
Wizard
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You'll also notice that the feature is not available for every book. Some .lit files prohibit it.
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02-12-2009, 08:04 PM | #64 |
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02-12-2009, 10:09 PM | #65 |
Wizard
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Of course the writers are going to get paid. You have to BUY the book from Amazon in the first place in order to put it on your kindle. This is about the writers guild wanting to limit what a consumer is allowed to do with the book they have already bought, in order to gain leverage in negotiating contracts with the retailers. It's not a copyright issue, it's a contract negotiation tactic.
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02-13-2009, 04:52 PM | #66 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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This means public buses, restaurants, hospitals, etc, must all abide by ADA regs. Workplaces are all supposed to abide by ADA regs for its workers or potential workers (since it is illegal in America to deny someone a job based on a disability). But random privately-sold products do not have to follow ADA regs. Websites as well... an ADA website must be able to be read by screen readers, and can be navigated by those with limited motor skills. All federal government websites (and most of their contractors) must meet this criteria. But we all know websites (mostly commercial) that cannot make this claim. Many companies abide by ADA rules, but it is strictly up to them... they are not forced to abide by ADA, they do it because they feel it is the right thing to do (and, of course, makes them look good to the public). Publishers who offer audiobooks of popular literature, therefore, do it only out of a desire to serve the disabled and look better in the public eye... not because they are obligated by law to do so. |
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02-13-2009, 06:13 PM | #67 |
Thyme Lord
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@Steve Jordan
This is still a slightly different situation. No one is suing to force Amazon to add features that benefit the disabled, they are trying to force them to REMOVE a feature. It's important to understand that Amazon is not selling anyone an audio version of anything - the user is using a tool to interpret pure text. This would be akin to accusing a music store or a piano company of selling CDs because a someone bought some sheet music and decided to play it at home for themselves. While this might not fall strictly under ADA territory, the Kindle, with it's TTS engine and ability to display large text, is the perfect tool for those with visual impairment. This is not a fight I would want to have anything to do with. I don't know about you, but I'll be avoiding anyone on this list for the time being. http://authorsguild.org/news/member_websites/a.html |
02-13-2009, 06:30 PM | #68 | |
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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Are you going to avoid Jeffrey Carver, too? He's posted on this thread in disagreement with the Guild. He also has most of his novels out as free ebooks. I would rate him as a (very) reader friendly author. Please, do not read his books. |
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02-13-2009, 06:36 PM | #69 |
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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I was waiting for someone to notice the similarities between this current brouhaha and the Sony Betamax case.
Pardon me for not writing more, I am very sick right now. |
02-13-2009, 08:25 PM | #70 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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I personally think that if Amazon wants to include this feature on its device (which, when you think about it, isn't much different than similar features in Adobe Reader and other SW), that's their prerogative. It is then up to publishers to decide whether or not they want their literature presented in that way, and not offer it to Amazon in that case. This will be another instance of the inertia of traditional authors and publishers (and their contracts) fighting a true advance in the market... but I believe it will be accepted, and contracts rewritten to accommodate it, eventually. |
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02-14-2009, 03:34 PM | #71 | |
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02-14-2009, 05:06 PM | #72 | |
Thyme Lord
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If the AG decides to push this forward, then I can't, in good conscience, support them in any form. We're already losing the right to resell, share, or do most of the things paper books let us do - this is just too far. |
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02-14-2009, 05:32 PM | #73 | |
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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02-14-2009, 07:40 PM | #74 | |
PHD in Horribleness
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This is how boycotts work. Consider this a vocabulary lesson. |
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02-14-2009, 07:48 PM | #75 | |
PHD in Horribleness
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