According To Author's Guild, You Cannot Read Books Out Loud
from the player-pianos-anyone? dept
As you may know, when player pianos were first introduced, there was a massive fear among musicians that it would be the death of the live music industry. With a player piano, why would anyone ever need to go see a live performance again? In fact, the roots of our rather draconian modern copyright law come, in part, from this dispute. You can see it time and time again, as each new technology comes along, someone freaks out, demands an extra layer of gov't granted rights (and often a compulsory license) and only later discovers that these "threats" were really opportunities all along.The latest such example comes from an absolutely extraordinary statement from Paul Aitken, the executive director of the Authors Guild, upon hearing that the new Amazon Kindle has an experimental text-to-speech factor. Rather than think about how this feature might expand readership, he immediately insisted that it's illegal to use it:
"They don't have the right to read a book out loud. That's an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law."By that reasoning pretty much any use of text-to-speech software is illegal, which would make for a fascinating legal case. And, actually, if you take that reasoning further, any reading outloud from a book that is not yours is also a violation of copyright law, according to Aitken. Read to your kids at night? Watch out for the Authors Guild police banging down your door. I would think that in purchasing a book, some of the associated rights that come along with it are the right to either read it aloud or have someone else read it aloud to you, but perhaps we'll soon be hearing about a special new "text-to-speech" right with a special compulsory license that will add a nice little extra charge to every book you buy. In the meantime, who put the Luddites in charge of the Authors Guild?
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Filed Under: authors guild, books, copyright, kindle, paul aitken, text-to-speech
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Shhhh! Don't give them any ideas!
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If this guy is right then maybe he'll insist that day care centers buy a license if they want to read books to the children.
Libraries hold book readings for children too.
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This is your mistake. "purchasing"
You do not purchase a book. You acquire only a licensing right subject to the EULA printed in the front cover of the book.
Sound famliar
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Amearicans with Dissablitys act
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Re: Amearicans with Dissablitys act
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WRONG
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Re: WRONG
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Re: WRONG
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Re: WRONG
The thing you are calling fascism (Libertarianism) promotes less law and the only resemblance to fascism it carries is the preference to state law over federal law. This is also different however, as state law in fascism is extremely strict, whereas in Libertarianism, state law is meant to be loose so that the smallest level of community can govern itself without interference, like city government, or even as small a unit as a family.
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Re: Re: WRONG
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Author book signings
Is this guy actually suggesting that the author should pay himself for the right to read aloud his own work?
Hmm...
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Re: Author book signings
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Re: Author book signings
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Crap
Seriously does this means that all the school and the libraries will have cease and desist letters sent in the event of story time ?
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Re: Crap
I wondered about the same thing. But does anybody here know that the Authors Guild has a website where famous actors read book aimed a children? How do they circumvent that?
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So kids books should have a ....
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Thanks for Ignoring the Visually Handicapperdf+
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Thanks for Ignoring the Visually Handicapped
I was elated when I saw that Kindle 2 had text-to-speech built in. I am visually handicapped and thought that would be great, but now this nutjob comes along and says it's illegal. Thanks so much for your insight... you're an idiot.
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Audio rights is not "reading aloud"
What will be interesting, assuming it goes to court if it goes that far, is if by selling content for a dedicated devise that is designed to produce an audio version is considered actual "production" of an audio version under the terms of the copyright act.
Text-to-Speech is permitted in producing books for the visually disabled, no matter who has the audio rights.
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Read Out Loud & Kindle
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Meadow muffins!
The 'read aloud' function for e-books was given the legal thumbs up for sight impaired people, so this Guild can go pound sand.
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Sorry kindle
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Someone's missing something...
*sigh*
Idiots.
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In Fact, This Is Probably Legal
"Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud DISABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud DISABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED"
If you are a blind reader, in order to legally read your ebook, you must make sure that read-aloud is set to enabled on at least one format. Apparently, the DMCA/copyright law effectively trump the ADA. What I wonder is: by read-aloud, does fictionwise exclusively mean TTS software, or does it mean that anyone who purchases the ebook isn't allowed to read it? If I buy an ebook with read-aloud disabled, can I ask Mike to read it to me?
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Re: In Fact, This Is Probably Legal
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Re: In Fact, This Is Probably Legal
Citizens are under a civil obligation to protest unjust laws by refusing to obey them. So get your books for free, in formats that work for you.
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text to speech is not audio
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Re: text to speech is not audio
Shouldn't it be the commercialization of that recording, be it by computer or by "someone reading the text who knows how to read out loud?"
If a production is made for commercial gain-- ie. sold to the public-- then copyright should come into play, and the author should be due a royalty on each copy. If I read a book out loud, even if I record it and distribute it to others for free and with no intention to profit from the work, then it shouldn't be subject to copyright anymore or any less than the "text to speech" function. Or, rather, as I believe is true under US copyright law, the copyright holder should retain the right to sue for 100% of the profit made by my recording which, in this case, is zero.
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No need for copyright or IP laws
freely and quickly available to the planet’s entire population.
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What about the rights of physically challenged people?
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Suuuuurrreeee.....
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*sigh* politics.
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Re:
do whatever the hell you want with it.
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the difference between TTS and audio rights
Right now, many of the major audio book companies won't touch a book that has TTS so publishers are blocking TTS via DRM.
This situation is a good thing for the disabled and other readers because once this issue is settled, probably in favor of TTS and audio rights being different things, TTS will be allowed on all electronic books.
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Handicapped readers
But then, that's just my opinion...
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Derivative, Recording and Performance, Oh My!
There isn't any physical copy of the audio before or after the book is being read. If the audio is not set in some type of medium, there can be no recording rights issue.
Strike Two.
Performance rights only come into play if it's performed in public. Listening to a kindle or reading a book out loud in a public park could be infringement if you have an audience. Even then it's not the kindle but you performing it for an audience in public that would be illegal.
Strike Three.
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He he
However, some are reacting, I've noticed one publisher has set up Book Army to bring authors and readers together, promote e-books and much more...it will be interesting to see if they kick off at all, and indeed how the e-book market develops. The whole notion of a kindle reading out stuff kind of disgusts me in someways - no. 1 you are no longer reading it, no. 2 it would be very annoying on public transport without headphones! Then again, is that any different to audiobooks? The answer is no.
It's all very complicated!
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replying to the right
P.S. My english is bad cause it is our lag of education from Bonaire. I hope you reader understand my point. Thanks alot :P Ciao
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Get it right!
A lot of fuss about nothing. Text to speach though is a different matter and the AG are right to raise questions. It needs clarifying.
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Reading a book and recording it and posting it on Facebook
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Similar to Clare but on YouTube
I am only wondering, though. Do we still need consent from the publishers, even after the author's been dead for 10+ years? I want to read another author's work, but nervous to do so.
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is it ok to make audio book just for oneself to listen to?
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Need non copy write material for teaching english as a second language Hi, I am
Thank you.
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Oops. Looks like Moses is in trouble for invoking prior art
7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”
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