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| Hearsay: |
The rest of the world’s authors could learn a thing or two from the Hollywood writers strike. Apparently we’re all getting shafted on electronic rights. I’m so confused. Who’d actually notice a strike of literary writers? (Is this my insane cousin?)
Writers of the world arise! It’s time to throw off the shackles of traditional publishing contracts and face a brand new digital future with a brand new set of priorities. Let’s copy or, should I say, learn from our brothers and sisters in Hollywood: don’t let the industry take our digital rights away! Give us our digital dues! In the shift from print to digital, writers are in danger of losing out big time.
Here in the UK, the book industry is suddenly waking up to the idea that there are many potential new platforms for content, aside from that much loved and reliable old technology, the book.
Ebook readers, such as the Kindle, which store hundreds of books at a time; ever more sophisticated phones that can handle and display content beautifully; computers we can’t bear to be parted from that can morph from television portal to e-reader to web browser and back again; there will come a day when we will ask ourselves: why did I think filling up my tiny house with dusty old books was a good idea?
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February 29th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Writers who are interested in getting paid for what they’re writing (and not having newspapers and other media ripping off their work electronically) may be interested in what transpired this week in Montreal. The Electronic Rights Defence Committee presented its case for a class action against The Gazette and the many corporations behind it during a three day class action authorization hearing. It was a David and Goliath scene, literally. On the ERDC’s side were our lawyer Me. Mireille Goulet (a small energetic woman) and the designated class member (or poster boy) novelist, film writer and translator David Homel. On the other side were five top lawyers from three of the biggest law firms in the country.
It’ll be a couple of months before Judge Eva Petras hands down her verdict on whether the class action can proceed, but we’re hoping for the best. This case complements the Heather Robertson vs. Thomson case over many of the same issues on which the Supreme Court handed down a favourable verdict in 2006.
If you want more information check out my blog or that of ERDC’s secretary Jack Ruttan at http (colon slash slash) mruttan.ca(slash) mruttan.ca(slash) blog (slash) blog.html
Mary
February 29th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Mary, i’ve never seen a URL spelled out quite so completely.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:12 am
George told me once that if you put the URL in a message for Bookninja, it goes to a spam folder automatically where he may or may not see it. And since he’s on the road (yeah! George, the Ivy League!) and might not be accessing this soon, so I thought I’d sneak around the quirk in the system.
The hearings were really something, BTW, and the reason I haven’t made any snarky (or other) remarks lately.
M
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:55 am
You can follow the ERDC on our sparkling new blog/website. erdc.ca
I’m still putting stuff in, and like all of these things, it’s a work in progress!