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Belgian Rightsholders Group Wants To Charge Libraries For Reading Books To Kids
New submitter BSAtHome writes "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. 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. Volunteers. Who – again – read books to kids."
And the kids should be charged with laziness. I mean, really, can't they read the books by themselves ? A generation of slackers, I call it.
And Belgian librarians and the kids they read to all vehemently and with much venom curse... "Belgium!"
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Is there any way in which they can make themselves seem any less sympathetic?
They could do exactly what they're doing, except while wearing Nazi uniforms and kicking puppies. Maybe run over some grandmothers on the way to the press conference.
There's a $30 charge for outrage. Sony owns the rights to it at the moment.
This is piracy, plain and simple. The publishers are losing millions, if not billions, because each kid now won't need to buy the book themselves. They need to multiply the cost of the book by the number of kids being read to, and add a half dozen zeroes to the end for good measure.
Copyrights are to be taken very seriously, folks! This mass, rampant piracy needs to come to a close immediately so these poor, kind, destitute authors can get what is due to them.
me shudders in a lovecraftian kinda way
for shame using a poor defenseless horse to whip someone
I'm tell PETA on you
What's next, having to pay money to sing in the shower?
Well, if there is an audience, yes. And it is about time they started making these freeloading children pay their fair share for entertainment. The librarians can always pay for the royalties by simply speaking a commercial every chapter. That way kids can learn about other important thinks like Coke, and the new Barbie. /sarcasm
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
THANK YOU FOR THE 1990'S NETIQUETTE LESSON
stop shouting. some of us got really drunk last night. it was friday you know.
I forecast a rise in secret reading sessions -- word passed among friends, person to person, with ... Where the Wild Things Are read to a carefully-selected band of Reading Rebels. In secret.
Shhh!!!
Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
Unfortunately, now no one can sing that without violating your copyright. Oh, I see what you're trying to do. Get everyone to start singing your "Words" in place of the original, then, once everyone is used to singing it that way, you swoop in with your lawyers and begin collecting royalties. Sweet!
Step 1: Provide alternative lyrics for copyrighted Birthday song
Step 2: Tell people on Slashdot they should sing those lyrics instead
Step 3: Watch as the ever-so-influential Slashdotters spread the tradition far-and-wide in no time at all
Step 4: Lawyer Up
Step 5: Profit!