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The Case for Copyright Exceptions and Fair Use

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

For on January 17, 1984, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that consumers could tape their favorite TV shows and watch them later without the copyright holder’s consent. 417 (1984), also known as the “ Betamax case ”, is a landmark copyright precedent that has had enormous implications for the media economy. of America v.

Copyright 196
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Upholding The Social Bargain: Bookshare and Copyright Compliance

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

copyright law. The Section 121 copyright exception (often known as the Chafee Amendment after the Senator who introduced it in 1996) makes it possible for Benetech to scan just about any book and make it available to this community. The publishing industry and disability organizations both agreed on this provision of copyright law.

Copyright 158
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Receiving the 2013 Migel Medal

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

This is the field where I found my life’s calling, applying technology to meet critical needs of society, where the market is likely to fail. And when the idea of a peer-to-peer ebook library came to me, it was George who I went to with the idea. That treaty should replicate the successful copyright exception here in the U.S.

eBook 221
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Advancing Reading Equality with Bookshare’s Exponential Growth

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

At Benetech, we always ask ourselves how our existing successful programs can reach more people who need our services and how we can apply technology in new ways to enrich and improve more lives. a11y accessibility Bookshare Braille DAISY ebooks Global Literacy print disabilities Reading' The majority of our members are U.S.

Literacy 129
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Tribute to My Mentor

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Gerry patiently explained that he would volunteer his time on a pro bono basis to incorporate and get IRS approval for my new company to make reading machines for the blind, one that was set up as a nonprofit charity. What if we could scan once, proofread the resulting scan, and share that ebook with tens of thousands of eager readers?

Mentoring 167
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Commercial Availability: The Poison Pill for Marrakesh Treaty Implementation

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

That’s the lobbying position of some companies in the intellectual property field when implementing the new Marrakesh Copyright Treaty. Our experience successfully building Bookshare under the United States copyright exception, which has no such commercial availability limitation, informs this strong opinion.

Copyright 100
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Bookshare and the Power of We

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

With technology, you can do incredible things, but with a galvanized community of supporters who work together toward a greater good, we can do anything. By partnering with all these stakeholders, we reinvented the traditional library for people with print disabilities and brought modern ebook technology to this underserved community.

Library 164