<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Dear all<div><br></div><div>If your organization would like to support this join letter, pls. send an email to Malini Aisola from KEI, <a href="mailto:malini.aisola@keionline.org">malini.aisola@keionline.org</a></div><div><br></div><div>Regards,</div><div>Katitza<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Malini Aisola <<a href="mailto:malini.aisola@keionline.org">malini.aisola@keionline.org</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">December 4, 2009 10:26:31 AM EST</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Katitza Rodriguez <<a href="mailto:katitza@datos-personales.org">katitza@datos-personales.org</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Cc: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Manon Ress <<a href="mailto:manon.ress@keionline.org">manon.ress@keionline.org</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>Re: URGENT, deadline Dec 4: reply comments on Treaty for the Visually Impaired</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#000000" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Reply-To: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a href="mailto:malini.aisola@keionline.org">malini.aisola@keionline.org</a></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> </div><div>Yes, please. Thank you so much!!<br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: Katitza Rodriguez <<a href="mailto:katitza@datos-personales.org">katitza@datos-personales.org</a>><br>To: <a href="mailto:malini.aisola@keionline.org">malini.aisola@keionline.org</a><br>Cc: Manon Ress <<a href="mailto:manon.ress@keionline.org">manon.ress@keionline.org</a>><br>Subject: Re: URGENT, deadline Dec 4: reply comments on Treaty for the<br>Visually Impaired<br>Date: Fri, 4 Dec 2009 10:25:55 -0500<br><br>Can I forward this?<br><br>On Dec 4, 2009, at 10:20 AM, Malini Aisola wrote:<br><br><blockquote type="cite">We have just received an extension until midnight, December 5, 2009 at<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">12:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the deadline to file comments.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Please let me know if you would like to sign on to this letter.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">-----Original Message-----<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">From: Malini Aisola <<a href="mailto:malini.aisola@keionline.org">malini.aisola@keionline.org</a>><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Reply-to: <a href="mailto:malini.aisola@keionline.org">malini.aisola@keionline.org</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">To: <a href="mailto:ip@tacd.org">ip@tacd.org</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Subject: URGENT, deadline Dec 4: reply comments on Treaty for the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Visually Impaired<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Date: Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:07:13 -0500<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Dear colleagues at TACD,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">KEI, US PIRG and CPATH invite you to support a short, joint letter <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">from consumer groups<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">to a consultation that the US government is organizing on a proposal<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">supported by the World Blind Union, KEI and some TACD members.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">This treaty proposal is formally sponsored by the governments of <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Brazil, Ecuador<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">and Paraguay and will be considered at the next session of the WIPO<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR). The <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">proposal<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">is for a treaty of copyright exceptions and limitations to facilitate<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">access and sharing of works for people who are blind or have other<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">reading disabilities. You can find more information about this treaty<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">proposal in our website: <a href="http://keionline.org/r2r">http://keionline.org/r2r</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">In preparation for the next meeting of the WIPO SCCR in December, the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Copyright Office and USPTO are currently requesting comments from<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">interesting parties on this treaty proposal:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><a href="http://www.copyright.gov/docs/sccr/">http://www.copyright.gov/docs/sccr/</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">All comments are available at <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/docs/sccr/">http://www.copyright.gov/docs/sccr/</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Reply comments are due by tomorrow, Friday, December 4.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Libraries, disability groups and others have filed strong statements <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">in<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">support of the treaty separately.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">The publishers and groups like the Association of American Publishers<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">(AAP), Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), National Music<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Publishers' Association (NMPA) and Recording Industry Association of<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">America (RIAA ) are opposing this treaty using the argument that this<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">will set precedent in extending limitations and exception to copyright<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">beyond the disabled community and beyond exemptions that already exist<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">in the US. They are suggesting that voluntary licensing mechanisms <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">as a<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">substitute for a treaty.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">We are now hoping to galvanize support from consumer groups on this <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">very<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">important issue through a joint submission in support of the treaty.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Both international and US groups can sign alike.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Below is the text of the submission which is supported by U.S. PIRG, <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">KEI<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">and CPATH.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to sign on to<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">the letter as the deadline is tomorrow, December 4 (US time). Please<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">feel free to contact me with any questions.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Best wishes,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Malini<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">************************************<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Reply comments of U.S. PIRG, CPATH, XXXXXX to the Copyright Office and<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">the USPTO regarding the WIPO draft proposal to facilitate access to<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">copyrighted works for persons, who are blind or have other reading<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">disabilities, in response to the Federal Register Notice of October <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">13,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">2009.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">The following comments are a reply to the comments filed by Steven J.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Metalitz on behalf of the Association of American Publishers (AAP),<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA), Motion Picture<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Association of America (MPAA), National Music Publishers' Association<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">(NMPA) and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">will<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">be referred to as the publisher group, or TPG.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">As US Consumer groups representing sighted and not sighted <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">consumers, we<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">are writing to express our support for a WIPO treaty for persons who <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">are<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">blind and have other reading disabilities.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">With regard to the comments by TPG, we reject the suggestion that<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">voluntary measures by publishers can be a substitute for a treaty, for<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">the following reasons.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">1. There is no evidence that every publisher of new books, <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">periodicals,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">pamphlets and other copyrighted materials will soon begin to <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">voluntarily<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">license works to publishers of accessible works. To the contrary, few<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">works are now licensed voluntarily, and Random House recently <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">decided to<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">turn off the text-to-speech function in the Kindle 2 electronic<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">bookreader. Indeed, even if there were an astronomical increase in the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">number of licensed works, it would not be complete or equal to what is<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">accessible to someone who is not visually impaired. Even in very<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">optimistic scenarios, people with reading disabilities will always <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">need<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">exceptions to achieve more equal access to works.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">2. Estimates of the number of published books protected by copyright<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">vary, but there are without any doubt millions of books that are out <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">of<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">print, and for which it is extremely difficult or impossible to <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">identify<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">and locate copyright owners and negotiate voluntary licenses to use<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">works. This problem is even more complicated when one considers the <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">need<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">to obtain the global rights to works, which may be held by different<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">publishers.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">3. The main point of the proposed WIPO treaty for reading disabilities<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">is to facilitate the cross border import and export of works created<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">under exceptions, a topic not addressed at by TPG. The World Blind <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Union<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">and other disabilities groups correctly argue that a treaty will <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">provide<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">the largest benefit -- by reducing legal uncertainty, and providing a<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">common set of procedures for publishers of accessible works.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">We fully and enthusiastically support the World Blind Union and call<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">upon the Administration to support negotiations for a new WIPO treaty<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">that will facilitate the cross border sharing of accessible works, and<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">ensure that blind and other persons with reading disabilities have the<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">right to make accessible copies of copyrighted works.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">-- <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Malini Aisola<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Knowledge Ecology International<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">1621 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 500, Washington DC 20009<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><a href="mailto:malini.aisola@keionline.org">malini.aisola@keionline.org</a>|Tel: +1.202.332.2670|Fax: +1.202.332.2673<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><br>-- <br>Malini Aisola<br>Knowledge Ecology International<br>1621 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 500, Washington DC 20009<br><a href="mailto:malini.aisola@keionline.org">malini.aisola@keionline.org</a>|Tel: +1.202.332.2670|Fax: +1.202.332.2673<br><br></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>