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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBelgian rightsholders group wants to charge libraries for READING BOOKS TO KIDS
It looks like some copyright holders are going berserk. This was reported in the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Privacy Forum
http://thenextweb.com/media/2012/03/13/belgian-rightsholders-group-wants-to-charge-libraries-for-reading-books-to-kids/
People with a healthy interest in fundamental freedoms and basic human rights have probably heard about SABAM, the Belgian collecting society for music royalties, which has become one of the global poster children for how outrageously out of touch with reality certain rightsholders groups appear to be.
In the past, SABAM has sought to require Internet and hosting service providers to install filters that would prevent the illegal downloading of files. They lost that battle.
Then, they wanted social networking companies to install monitoring, filtering or blocking systems to prevent illegal trading of digital music and other copyrighted material. They lost that battle. Dont expect those setbacks to make them back down in their quest to display a stunning amount of stupidity to the world, though.
...
This morning, word got out in Belgian media that SABAM is spending time and resources to contact local libraries across the nation, warning them that they will start charging fees because the libraries engage volunteers to read books to kids.
Justice wanted
(2,657 posts)Trillo
(9,154 posts)Last edited Sun Mar 18, 2012, 02:42 PM - Edit history (1)
what is the purpose of reading these days? It often seems to be to propagate misinformation, to confuse, or to market or sell things and services.
If that is now one of its primary purposes, is it either necessary or a good thing?
[p class="post-sig"]First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. ... attributed to a 1914 US trade union address.
niyad
(113,582 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,368 posts)SABAM was founded in 1922 at the instigation of the composer Emiel Hullebroeck under the name NAVEA. In 1945 it changed to its current name. The SABAM a Civil Co-operative Society (CVBA) with Belgian authors, composers and publishers as members. They represent the interests of its members in the field of intellectual property rights and collect all the royalties due to its members in Belgium, and sister organizations in other countries (such as Buma / Stemra in the Netherlands), and then distributes these rights to the copyright holders.
Unlike Buma / Stemra, which is limited to music copyright, SABAM is active in all disciplines where copyrights are involved. The members of SABAM are not only composers, poets and musicians text, but also writers, poets, artists, publishers, visual artists, architects, designers, choreographers, photographers, film and television directors, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SABAM
niyad
(113,582 posts)intellectualism, is not limited to the idiots in this country.
3waygeek
(2,034 posts)the word "Belgium" is an obscenity. Looks like he may have been onto something.
seattleblah
(69 posts)Nothing new here.