sideways look! Was: USA: Online book-sharing service

[Janina Sajka]

Huh?

Nobody's forcing anybody to take anything. I totaly miss your point.

On Fri, 15 Mar 2002, Georgina wrote:

> Hi
> 
> With respect, we'll have to agree to disagree.  Napster gave control to the 
> user.  The end user chose what could be delivered and that to be received.  
> Free in both senses.  I see it as an insult of the Napster consept.  I'll
> not be grateful to those who have made a living from producing products that 
> I can choose to buy or not.  It may not be profit making but they're making a 
> living out of it.  We all respect and appreciate that the local store is 
> there and the staff stock the store and serve us but we don't have to be 
> licking their boots in gratitude for their contribution.
> 
> Gena
> 
> 
> 
> >Gina:
> >
> >Part of the rationale for putting BookShare up is based on what you just 
> >described. You gave the cost of having a title prepared for you. It sounds 
> >like an expensive effort. Yet, if someone else, somewhere else needs that 
> >same title, without a service like BookShare, they'd have to incur the 
> >same expenses all over again. 
> >
> >The people who are behind BookShare, are the same people who gave us 
> >Arkenstone products up to the point that Freedom Scientific bought 
> >Arkenstone. In fact, the money from that purchase went into putting 
> >BookShare together--along with some other projects at 
> >http://www.benetech.org. It had to. Arkenstone was one of those 501(C)3 
> >nonprofitI wrote you about the other day. By U.S. law, the money from the 
> >sale of Arkenstone had to go to another nonprofit and not into people's 
> >pockets.
> >
> >So, the point of this story, is that these former Arkenstone and now 
> >Benetech people are on to what you've described. They've seen people using 
> >technology to meet their needs. And, they've seen many people scanning the 
> >same title independently, at great expense, with no ability--except 
> >happenstance--to share with others who need that title. Ergo, BookShare.
> >
> >Is it nabster? Not really. U.S. Copyright law allows any individual who is
> >blind to take published content and make it accessible for themselves, or
> >to get someone else to do it for them. And, it allows agencies whose
> >mission is to make published information accessible to publish to blind
> >users without asking anyone's permission. So, maybe nabster copied the
> >U.S. copyright law's provisions for blind people. Maybe it's that other
> >way around.
> >
> >
> >
> > On Thu, 14 Mar 2002, Georgina wrote:
> >
> >> Hi
> >> 
> >> Although, this aspect is off topic, I thank those who have attempted to
> >> clarify these matters.  But I do feel that there is an important issue
> >> of us giving up control and just following the majority that we need to 
> >> consider.
> >> 
> >> The pricing is a very important one.  I as a student paid support
> >> workers to scan and correct books and Jernal articles.  Because books
> >> vary so much its difficult to find an average but the following costs
> >> were quite common during the pas five years of my studies:
> >> 
> >> The book would cost twenty pounds.  A support worker would take six
> >> hours being paid five pounds an hour to scan it.  If I was lucky, they'd
> >> correct the majority of errors in ten hours at five pounds an hour.
> >> Thus this twenty pound book has cost one hundred pounds to access.
> >> 
> >> Gena
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> >You also receive 50 cents credit per each book that you apply the Basic
> >> >Publish procedure on.  Do 100 of those per year and you cover your
> >> >subscription.
> >> >
> >> >I suppose they don't think that all persons will participate in this effort
> >> >and perhaps if so, they will enact different requirements.
> >> >I don't have a lot of time to scan books at the moment but in time I will
> >> >for various reasons.   believe in the longrun, it will be a worthwhile
> >> >service provided it will be able to thrive.
> >> >
> >> >Amanda Lee
> >> >
> >> >Alexandria, VA
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >----- Original Message -----
> >> >From: "Ann Parsons" <akp at eznet.net>
> >> >To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
> >> >Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2002 8:11 PM
> >> >Subject: sideways look! Was: USA: Online book-sharing service
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >Hi all,
> >> >
> >> ><smile>  Gena, it is my understanding that if you contribute books,
> >> >you get $2.50 knocked off your next year's fee.  So, if you scanned 20
> >> >books, then your next year's subscription would be free.  the money
> >> >should go to pay for the server and so on.  I don't know about
> >> >salaries for other stuff.  I think this is a worthwhile project, I
> >> >just wish it were slightly more accessible.
> >> >
> >> >Ann P.
> >> >
> >> >--
> >> >Ann K. Parsons
> >> >email:  akp at eznet.net ICQ Number:  33006854
> >> >WEB SITE:  http://home.eznet.net/~akp
> >> >"All that is gold does not glitter.  Not all those who wander are lost."
> >> >JRRT
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >_______________________________________________
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> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
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> >
> >-- 
> >	
> >				Janina Sajka, Director
> >				Technology Research and Development
> >				Governmental Relations Group
> >				American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
> >
> >Email: janina at afb.net		Phone: (202) 408-8175
> >
> >Chair, Accessibility SIG
> >Open Electronic Book Forum (OEBF)
> >http://www.openebook.org
> >
> >
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-- 
	
				Janina Sajka, Director
				Technology Research and Development
				Governmental Relations Group
				American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)

Email: janina at afb.net		Phone: (202) 408-8175

Chair, Accessibility SIG
Open Electronic Book Forum (OEBF)
http://www.openebook.org