Hey authors!
Hey, you, authors! You do NOT have a right to prevent the reading-aloud of your works. Copyright protects the copying, recording, public performance, or distribution of your works. None of that is going on in the Kindle electronic text-to-speech function. Text-to-speech is like reading aloud to your kids, friends, or family members - which is NOT a public performance, NOT something copyright laws prohibits, and NOT something anyone should have to pay extra for on top of the right to read your words silently.
I may be able to read through my eyes faster than I can hear through my ears, but that is not true for many people - in particular, many of my friends with visual processing difficulties find auditory input a lot easier and more efficient. Text-to-speech technologies have existed integrated with person computer operating systems for years, and provide huge benefits to people with print-related AND visual disabilities. Stopping text-to-speech ain't what copyright is for!
If you think I don't sound totally insane, you might want to think about signing on to this petition, protesting against the Authors Guild strong-arming Amazon into disabling text-to-speech capabilities in the Kindle2.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/We-Want-To-Read
Take a look.
I may be able to read through my eyes faster than I can hear through my ears, but that is not true for many people - in particular, many of my friends with visual processing difficulties find auditory input a lot easier and more efficient. Text-to-speech technologies have existed integrated with person computer operating systems for years, and provide huge benefits to people with print-related AND visual disabilities. Stopping text-to-speech ain't what copyright is for!
If you think I don't sound totally insane, you might want to think about signing on to this petition, protesting against the Authors Guild strong-arming Amazon into disabling text-to-speech capabilities in the Kindle2.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/We-Want-To-Read
Take a look.