Re: Message from Pat Schroeder re: Librarians

[Anthony W Ferguson <ferguson@columbia.edu>]

Groan!  Maybe we should only put books on shelves that have no copyright
because who knows someone might read them and pass on the information
without paying a fee.  Readers should have bought the books themselves.  
An alternative would be to have the brains of readers infected with
Oldtimers disease as they enter our doors so they can't remember what they
read -- this would protect them from unknowingly breaking the law.

Tony Ferguson, Columbia University
____

On Tue, 13 Feb 2001, Ann Okerson
wrote:

> We've been asked to post the following, welcome, message from Pat
> Schroeder, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, to
> the liblicense-l list. 
>
> Ann Okerson
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 18:17:36 -0500
> From: Barbara Meredith <bmeredith@publishers.org>
> To: "'aokerson@pantheon.yale.edu'" <aokerson@pantheon.yale.edu>
> Subject: Message from Pat Schroeder re: Librarians
>
> Ann - Given there has been discussion on the liblicense-l list about the
> 2/7 Wash. Post article on Pat Schroeder, I am sending Pat's response to
> you for posting on the list.  Thank you.
>
> Barbara Meredith
> _________
>
> We're a bit surprised at the uproar produced by last week's Washington
> Post story in which I talked about the book publishing industry's
> continuing copyright disputes with the library community.  This is, after
> all, not exactly breaking news.  While publishers and librarians agree and
> work together on any number of issues, including literacy and freedom of
> expression, we have traditionally disagreed over the boundaries of "fair
> use."  Anyone who has been following recent legislative and regulatory
> developments knows that these disagreements have become more complex as a
> result of new laws that support publishers' use of technology to protect
> copyrighted works against online piracy.  Publishers and libraries do not
> see eye-to-eye on a number of issues, particularly key provisions of the
> 2-year-old Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
>
> However, as both communities advocate their views before Congress and the
> Copyright Office, we continue to talk with one another in the hope that we
> will be able to reach some workable compromises in the future, as we have
> in the past.  We understand the many problems that libraries face.  New
> solutions and business models are being developed that can provide
> answers.  But until they'�re ready, we must do everything we can to
> protect the copyrights of the authors and publishers whose livelihoods
> depend on those rights.
>
> Sincerely,
> Pat Schroeder
> AAP President & CEO