Tony Gregory
Question:81 Mr. Gregory asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will consider the submission from the Centre for Independent Living (details supplied). [20901/99]
Written Answers. - Book Delivery Scheme.
The suggestion, as I understand it, is that where a publisher is required to deliver a copy of a book to certain libraries, including the National Library of Ireland and certain university libraries, that publisher should be required to supply an electronic copy of that book in addition to a non-electronic copy – where the library requires that its demand copy be supplied in non-electronic format – to facilitate the libraries concerned in the preparation of copies modified for use by persons with disabilities.
I will give consideration to this suggestion. I would point out that the intention of the book delivery scheme, as it is currently constituted, is to allow certain libraries to construct reference and educational-reference collections of books in the format in which they are published. The current basis for the scheme rests in national heritage and educational considerations, and its connection with copyright is now purely historical and coincidental. There are a number of possible disadvantages attaching to the suggestion in this case, notably in the fact that since only a small number of academic and reference libraries benefit from the book delivery scheme, only a limited proportion of people with disabilities would be likely to benefit directly from extending the scheme in this way. Furthermore, the making of downstream copies of an electronic copy supplied in this way would have to be strictly limited in order to guard against unreasonable infringement of the rights of publishers and authors.
There may be better ways of helping people with disabilities to access copyright works through the medium of copyright law. For example, I accepted an amendment to section 99 of the Copyright and Related Rights Bill, 1999, at Seanad Report Stage which will facilitate designated non-profit organisations in making and supplying modified copies of works for people with disabilities, in controlled circumstances, without the risk of committing a copyright infringement. As regards the present suggestion, I believe it would be appropriate to consider it in the context of a review of the book delivery scheme which I will be asking my Department to undertake, in consultation with the Department of Arts, Culture, Heritage and the Islands and the Department of Education and Science, following the passage of the Copyright and Related Rights Bill, 1999.