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Libraries and publishers clash over bill to regulate ebook licensing; committee defers measure
Summary
HB 2577 would let Hawaii regulate contractual licensing of ebooks and audiobooks to libraries; state library witnesses said publishers' licensing models are unaffordable, while publisher groups warned the bill would be preempted by federal copyright law. The committee deferred the bill.
HB2577 prompted sharply divided testimony on how digital books should be licensed to public libraries.
Library system representatives told the committee that publishers increasingly offer only time-limited or highly restrictive licenses for ebooks and audiobooks, at prices that far exceed consumer costs. A state library witness said, "Digital access is now essential to education ... Without…
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