State Governor Andrew Cuomo has yet to sign the law, but this step should only be a formality. Publishers are therefore expected to offer their digital books and digital audio books on more reasonable terms to New York State libraries in the near future.
The parliamentary chambers broadly adopted the bill, which states that “ effective and commonly accepted industry practices will continue to be used, but practices unfavorable to libraries and library users are prohibited », cite Publishers Weekly.
Jeremy Johannesen, executive director of the association of state libraries, said in the title that he was ” cautiously, but resolutely optimistic As to the signature by the governor.
The loan of digital books in libraries, in the majority of the United States, operates according to a logic of licenses granted by the publishers, according to their own terms. For several years, librarians have denounced prohibitive prices, unfavorable loan conditions, and even delays imposed between the publication of books, marketing to the public and their availability in establishments.
The state of Maryland has passed a regulatory law similar to New York’s, which will come into effect in early 2022.
The Association of American Publishers denounced initiatives aimed at ” to divert copyright decisions from Congress to State Assemblies “. The organization also assures that these laws go against the American Constitution, but has not yet, it seems, initiated a procedure to have it recognized.
Photographie : illustration, Cartridge People, CC BY 2.0
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