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Saturday, May 5, 2012

Public Lending Right compromised

Where libraries are run by volunteers, PLR will not be paid to authors

A loophole in the law

 

The Bookseller reports great concern in the Society of Authors


The general secretary of the Society of Authors has called for a one-on-one meeting with culture secretary Ed Vaizey to directly address the needs of authors in relation to e-book lending, Public Lending Right (PLR) and privacy, as a new era of volunteer-run libraries presses forward.

Nicola Solomon is seeking assurances that the retail price of e-books will not be undervalued by e-book lending, that the threat of piracy of digital books is addressed and that PLR continues even in volunteer-run libraries.

Her letter, sent yesterday (3rd May), comes after it emerged PLR would not be given to authors in cases where libraries were run by volunteers instead of professionals, a strategy which Vaizey is promoting in areas where local councils are cutting costs by closing institutions

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