Amazon Caves On Kindle 2 Text-To-Speech 370
On Wednesday we discussed news that the Authors Guild had objected to the text-to-speech function on Amazon's Kindle 2, claiming that it infringed on audio book copyright. Today, Amazon said that while the feature is legally sound, they would be willing to disable text-to-speech on a title-by-title basis at the rightsholder's request. "We have already begun to work on the technical changes required to give authors and publishers that choice. With this new level of control, publishers and authors will be able to decide for themselves whether it is in their commercial interests to leave text-to-speech enabled. We believe many will decide that it is."
17 USC 121 (Score:5, Informative)
Tons of disabled people already depend on text-to-speech and with an ever older populace this is only going to become even more important to everyone.
People with disabilities can use specialized devices, which are made available only by prescription to people with a qualifying disability, that play copies of works produced under an exception to the U.S. copyright statute (17 USC 121 [copyright.gov]). Kindle 2, being available to all, does not meet this requirement.
Asked and answered. (Score:4, Informative)
And will there be an override for people with disabilities?
No, because they use something other than Kindle [slashdot.org].
Re:DRM for text is a really ridiculous idea (Score:4, Informative)
Because by law, the blind must have access to TTS, and therefore the authors' guild cannot make money on it. In this case, they see a money making opportunity, and want to capitalize on it at the expense of consumers.
Re:17 USC 121 (Score:4, Informative)
Note the sentence - "specialized format exclusively for use by blind or other persons with disabilities."
Here's a photo of the specialized format I'm talking about [loc.gov].
Also you don't need a prescription to get hold of a tactile interface.
But you do need proof of disability from a "competent authority" [loc.gov] to get hold of a Digital Talking Book Player.
Re:So Amazon wins anyway (Score:4, Informative)
Not pointing it out and letting them go through life with the misguided impression that nobody cares that they sound like a fucking idiot is even worse. It's the same level of social apathy as letting someone walk around with a kick me sign taped to their back.
Only douchebags think that's acceptable.
Re:DRM for text is a really ridiculous idea (Score:3, Informative)
DRM (we called it "copy-protection" when I was a lad)
No, you didn't. You called *COPY PROTECTION* "copy-protection". You didn't call DRM anything because DRM didn't exist.
I think authors should have a right to protect their labor from theft.
And this is why you fail - DRM is not about "theft", it's about control.
As in "I made something, so I get to control what you do with it after I sell it to you, even if the law *EXPLICTLY* grants you the right to do something, I want to stop you from doing that."
Take your straw man somewhere else.
Re:Seriously... (Score:3, Informative)
These screen readers can be activated and used by anyone, not just the blind. So is this technology illegal? Should the users of such be required to prove they are disabled before it can be activated on their computers?
While the voices on the Kindle 2 were not that great there are very high quality voices which are more useable the MacOS Alex voice for one. To see where this all might go you can visit an experimental talking book library in Western Australia www.cucat.org/library/ which permits the public to download DAISY digital talking books (www.daisy.org) recorded in higher quality voices.
Re:DRM for text is a really ridiculous idea (Score:4, Informative)
Try fair use. Quite legal. Quite contrary to DRM.
Re:Yay! (Score:2, Informative)
You don't understand how publishing works. I'm an author with several books under his belt.
I hold the copyright in all my books, yes. But I grant the publishing company an exclusive license to publish them. Effectively, I sign the book over to them, and they decide what to do with it.
In nearly all cases, publishing companies dictate the terms, and request absolute and universal publishing rights. I'm sure a handful of big-name authors flip this around, but most of us have to dance to the publisher's beat.
So, this is STILL something that rests in the hands of publishers, and whether text-to-speech is enabled will depend on publishing companies and their negotiations with Amaazon.
Re:DRM for text is a really ridiculous idea (Score:5, Informative)
I am not aware of any law that allows copying a game. Not even for backups. Please provide a citation.
Copyright law:
http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#117 [copyright.gov]
 117. Limitations on exclusive rights: Computer programs53
(a) Making of Additional Copy or Adaptation by Owner of Copy. â" Notwithstanding the provisions of section 106, it is not an infringement for the owner of a copy of a computer program to make or authorize the making of another copy or adaptation of that computer program provided:
(1) that such a new copy or adaptation is created as an essential step in the utilization of the computer program in conjunction with a machine and that it is used in no other manner, or
(2) that such new copy or adaptation is for archival purposes only and that all archival copies are destroyed in the event that continued possession of the computer program should cease to be rightful.
Re:Yay! (Score:3, Informative)
The Authors Guild did not actually sue anyone, they just raised a media stink.
I'm not exactly a raving fan of the Authors Guild for this, but I'm happy they didn't sue any grandmas who don't even own the device in question in order to make their point.
Re:So Amazon wins anyway (Score:3, Informative)
I'll only buy TTS books. I own a Kindle2 and have more than 20 texts (philosophy works for my degree and debate coaching) on there already. I've spent more than $500 in the past week on my Kindle investment.
As someone who also commutes, I find the TTS to be invaluable already. We'll see if that continues to last, but as I'm reading for educational purposes, not entertainment, I have a utilitarian informational need. I don't need an actor reading Baudrillard's "The Illusion of the End" (the words are powerful enough). And incidentally, good luck finding any of that material on books-on-tape... there's simply not the market for it.
So if an author or publisher refuses to allow me to listen to it, they take away a core functionality. I'll find another version (on older philosophical texts, that's common), or simply check it out from the library, depriving them of the sale. The TTS audio quality is no threat to your books-on-tape business, you offer no such capacity on most of the works I purchase, and the TTS allows me to make use of two hours a day of drive time during which I need to study.
Uhhh... This is already done, out of the box. (Score:1, Informative)
The Kindle2 supports direct access via USB and unprotected MOBI/PRC files, which are the most prolific of eBook formats. I've had my Kindle2 for narely a week, and it's got a lot of DRM-less material from my library and others. I have yet to purchase anything from Amazon in the way of books. (I do purchase from fictionwise sometimes, though. opensource tools like DeDRM and Calbre to strip the DRM from my books, and move between formats.)
I also own a BeBook/Hanlin V3 which also supports an number of formats. I prefer the Kindle for a lot of reasons.