Judith Platt Responds

Judith Platt has responded on her radical librarian remarks below.

\”The last thing that I intended was to anger or alienate the library
community. I value them as friends, colleagues and allies in the fight for
free expression and literacy. If publishers and librarians don\’t always see
eye-to-eye on copyright issues, we\’ve been able to seek workable compromises
in the past, and we have every expectation of doing so in the digital
environment.


I was quoted completely out of context ZDNet news article.


more…….

Judith Platt has responded on her radical librarian remarks below.

\”The last thing that I intended was to anger or alienate the library
community. I value them as friends, colleagues and allies in the fight for
free expression and literacy. If publishers and librarians don\’t always see
eye-to-eye on copyright issues, we\’ve been able to seek workable compromises
in the past, and we have every expectation of doing so in the digital
environment.


I was quoted completely out of context ZDNet news article.


more…….I was quoted completely out of context ZDNet news article. The reporter
totally misinterpreted my remarks, either through her own lack of
understanding or a desire to ratchet up discord between publishers and
librarians. My reference to \”Ruby Ridge\” applied only to an extremist
position (not taken by any librarians I am acquainted with) that all
computer code is protected speech under the First Amendment and no one–not
a publisher nor author, nor anyone else–has the right to encrypt
copyrighted material to protect it from unauthorized reproduction.


What Ms. Bowman FAILED to include in her article were my numerous statements
about the cooperative relationship between publishers (and their national
trade association) and librarians. We totally value what librarians do and
we are working together to come up with ways that will take full advantage
of the new digital environment in a way that will protect the legitimate
copyright interests of authors and publishers.


My unqualified support of the First Amendment led me to speak with Ms.
Bowman as I would with any member of the press. I only wish her reportage
had been more responsible.
\”


Judith Platt