RARA-AVIS: Re: Hard Case Crime series

From: jacquesdebierue (jacquesdebierue@yahoo.com)
Date: 23 Nov 2008

  • Next message: Karin Montin: "Re: RARA-AVIS: Re: Hard Case Crime series"

    --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "m23to53" <library.john@...> wrote:
    >
    > Here in the UK we have a scheme called Public Lending Right, through
    > which authors, who have signed up to the scheme, get payments based
    > on the loans of their books. Not great but handy sums.
    > It is based on lending figures from a selection of libraries which
    > are changed at frequent intervals, so can be a bit hit or miss for
    > less popular authors who may not be bought by every library. Not sure
    > if overseas authors are allowed to participate. If you want to know
    > more, PLR's website is www.plr.uk.com/

    This arrangement strikes me as fair. If copyrighted music yields money when broadcast by stations and movies yield money when shown publicly, I don't see why books that are made available to the public should be any different. Right now, in the US, they are treated like public sculpture... a freebie.

    The argument that Constantine's Mad Russian makes is that each time the book is borrowed he is losing royalties on a copy sold. I don't know that there is a valid argument against this.

    Best,

    mrt



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