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Blind People Won the Right to Break Ebook DRM. In 3 Years, They'll
Have to Do It Again

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Damon Beres

Security
10.27.2021 01:38 PM

Blind People Won the Right to Break Ebook DRM. In 3 Years, They'll
Have to Do It Again

Advocates will once again be granted a DMCA exception to make
accessible versions of texts. They argue that it's far past time to
make it permanent.

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Braille and security icons.
On Wednesday, the US Copyright Office recommended that the Librarian
of Congress once again grant a three-year exemption to break ebook
DRM when needed for accessibility.Illustration: Elena Lacey

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It's a cliche of digital life that "information wants to be free."
The internet was supposed to make the dream a reality, breaking down
barriers and connecting anyone to any bit of data, anywhere. But 32
years after the invention of the World Wide Web, people with print
disabilities--the inability to read printed text due to blindness or
other impairments--are still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled.

TopicsebooksaccessibilitydrmdmcaTech Policy and LawCopyrightsecurity
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