DRM and accessibility

Problems however remain, particularly where DRM mechanisms are employed by content providers. In a leading article on the subject, George Kerscher and Jim Fruchterman describe the problems that occur at the intersection of access technologies and technical protection measures:

28 The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential.

W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding.

全球資訊網組織(World Wide Web Consortium, W3C)發展出了各種互通性科技（規 格、指針、軟體及工具），使導網路能充分發揮潛能。W3C 是資訊、商務、通訊 與共識的論壇。

不過問題依然存在，尤其是內容供應者運用 DRM 機制的情形。在一篇關於這項 議題的領導性文章中，George Kerscher 與 Jim Fruchterman 描述了取用科技與技術保護 措施交會所產生的問題：

“The personal computer is the information access tool of choice for many persons who are blind. The computer is made accessible through a screen reader program. Screen readers use a text-to-speech synthesizer (TTS) to speak aloud the information that a sighted person would visually read on the computer screen. These screen readers intercept the text being written to the display and keep track of it, so that it can be vocalized in response to the user’s control. For example, pressing certain keys will cause the screen reader to read the current word, line or paragraph. Screen readers also permit the use of dynamic braille displays instead of, or in addition to, the TTS.

「對於許多盲人，個人電腦是資訊取用的選擇工具。藉由螢幕讀取程式，可使得 電腦具有可取用性。對於具有視力者在電腦螢幕上閱讀的資訊，螢幕讀取程式使 用了文書語音合成器(text-to-speech synthesizer, TTS)唸出資訊。這些螢幕讀取程式 擷取書面文本並維持軌跡，因而能夠以有聲化方式回應使用者的控制。例如，按 下特定按鍵，就能使螢幕讀取程式閱讀目前的文字、行列或段落。螢幕讀取程式 也能夠容許使用動態點字顯示，以取代 TTS，或與 TTS 並用。

The screen readers are external applications to the PC-based eBook reading software.

The DRM wrappers are designed to work with reading applications that present the text visually without allowing the text to be copied, to prevent the illegal distribution of the book. Unfortunately, these anti-copying provisions also prevent the screen reader from providing access with TTS or braille. The secure reading application views these external applications as security threats and blocks their access. As a result, persons who try to use their screen reader with eBook reading systems find that their screen reader is not allowed to do its job and leaves the person who is blind with no access to the ePublication, unless the reading application builds access directly into the user interface.”

螢幕讀取程式是個人電腦上電子書閱讀軟體的外掛應用程式。DRM 包裝器(DRM wrappers)是設計用來與閱讀應用程式一同顯示文本，但是不讓文本受到複製，以 避免該書的不法散布。不幸的是，這些反複製作法也讓螢幕讀取程式無法以 TTS 或點字提供取用。這些安全閱讀應用程式將這些外掛應用程式視為安全威脅，並 阻擋其取用。結果，除非閱讀應用程式直接在使用者介面上內建取用管道，不然 在電子書閱讀系統下使用螢幕讀取程式的人會發現，螢幕讀取程式不被允許完成

工作，而使盲人無法取用電子出版品。」²⁹

As Kerscher and Fruchterman acknowledge, the problem lies not so much in the configuration of the technology; it lies more in the way that the technology is employed by the rightsholders:

如 Kerscher 與 Fruchterman 所認為，這個問題並不主要在於科技的裝置，而主要 在於權利人運用科技的方式：

29 Kerscher, George and Fruchterman, Jim: The Soundproof Book: Exploration of Rights Conflict and Access to Commercial eBooks for People with Disabilities, available at

<http://www.benetech.org/resources/talks/soundproof.shtml>.

“Microsoft and Adobe, which have implemented the use of TTS in their eBook reading systems, have heard from publishers that the audio rights to their eBooks may have been sold. Therefore a feature has been added that allows the use of TTS to be turned off.

This means that at the time of creation, a decision can be made by the publisher to disable the use of TTS for this particular eBook.”

「微軟與 Adobe 公司在電子書閱讀系統中使用了 TTS，而他們曾經由出版商們告 知電子書上的聲音權利可能已經出售。因此電子書閱讀系統中加入了關閉 TTS 的 新功能。這意味著，在製造電子書的時候，出版商可以決定取消特定電子書上的 TTS 功能。」³⁰

While the standoff between certain rightsholders and visually impaired users is clear, neither side can be faulted for the position they maintain. As the representatives of visually impaired users have often made perfectly clear, their objective is simply to secure the same access to information and entertainment resources as those without such disabilities, within the same time frame and at similar price levels. They affirm the importance of copyright and emphasise that market-based solutions are appropriate.

雖然某些權利人與視覺障礙者之間的平衡很清楚，任何一方都不應為了他們的立 場而受指責。視覺障礙者代表們經常明白表示，他們的目的只是想確保，在相同時程 與相近價格水準上，能與一般人取用相同資訊及娛樂資源。他們肯定著作權的重要 性，並強調市場本位的作法適當。

Only a very small percentage of commercially published books and periodicals are made available by publishers in formats accessible by visually impaired readers. There is in some countries a commercial market for a limited range of “accessible” material, but large print books and unabridged audio books almost always cost more than the “standard” version.

Most accessible material is today still created by specialist agencies operating on charitable funds or social subventions. This means in practice that only a small proportion of the material published currently becomes available in accessible formats. In the United Kingdom, for example, it is estimated that only around 5% of published titles ever become available in accessible formats, and it is rare indeed for the accessible version to come out until months or years after the original.

由出版商提供視覺障礙者能取用的格式，目前只限於非常少部分的商業性出版書 籍與期刊。某些國家中，在範圍有限的「可取用」資料上具有商業市場，不過，大字 體印刷書本與未刪減的有聲書，幾乎總是比「標準」版本更高價。目前大多數的可取 用資料，依然來自於慈善基金或社會福利機構。這意味著，在當前的出版資料中，只 有一小部分屬於可取用格式。例如在英國，據估計只有大約 5%出版品屬於可取用格 式，而實際上，通常只有在原版本出版後幾個月或幾年之後，才會推出可取用版本。

Commercial publishers whether of best sellers or text books have a responsibility to maximize the return from the market. They have to maintain rigorous control over their assets and carefully analyse which sectors of the market are capable of delivering an adequate return on their investment in product development, marketing and distribution.

不論是暢銷書或教科書，商業性出版商的職責是極大化市場收益。他們對於資產 必須嚴格控制，並且在產品開發與市場行銷上，仔細分析哪一個市場部門能夠帶來適 當收益。

30 Ibid.

They have a duty to their creative partners and shareholders to ensure that works are not made available in a way which increases the risk of unauthorised reproduction and distribution, a risk which is of course much greater in the digital domain. Accordingly, the uncontrolled availability of works in digital formats which are open to reproduction and format conversion (adaptation) to meet the needs of visually impaired readers carries with it, in the perception of many rightsholders, the risk of unauthorised reproduction and distribution.

對於創作伙伴與股東，他們的職責是確保著作的提供方式不會增加未授權重製與 散布的風險，當然，這項風險在數位領域中則是更高。因此，在許多權利人的觀感 中，為了滿足視障讀者的需要，這些得以進行重製與格式轉換（調整）的數位型態著 作，如果在取得上不受控制，就會是未授權重製與散布的風險。

In short, at present, neither the market nor technology appears to be supporting a basis for facilitating the access to information by visually impaired people in a way that is consistent with the general standards for the full social and economic integration of people with disabilities.

簡而言之，以身心障礙者在社會與經濟上充分整合的總體標準來看，目前的市場 與科技都不足以成為促成視覺障礙者取用資訊的基礎。

5 Legal solutions 法律解決方案

While they recognise the role of copyright law, visually impaired people have very specific needs in terms of access to information. Advanced technology goes further than ever before in meeting those needs. Yet many of the needs remain unmet.

雖然視覺障礙者承認著作權法的角色，他們對於取用資訊有非常特定的需要。先 進科技在滿足這些需要的落差更勝於從前。許多需要依然沒有受到滿足。

For their part, publishers are required by the economics of their business and the markets within which they operate to carefully weigh risks and economic opportunities.

對於出版商來說，商業經濟與他們運作其中的市場，則要求他們仔細衡量風險與 經濟機會。

An important question is therefore whether current law provides a means for reconciling these different positions or, at least, bringing them into better alignment. The obvious conclusion – given that there are no specific provisions in international law dealing with the needs of visually impaired people – is that it does not.

因此一個重要的問題是，當前法律是否提供協調這些不同立場的方法？或者至少 改善這些立場之間的關係？由於國際法對於視覺障礙者需要沒有特定的處理規定，因 此結論顯然是沒有。

The WBU argues for the standardisation of exceptions and limitations to meet the needs of visually impaired people as follows:

針對滿足視覺障礙者的需要，世界盲人聯盟主張的例外與限制標準化規定如下：

“We believe [the] exceptions should have the following features:

「我們認為[這些]例外規定必須有以下特徵：

(a) They should achieve general acceptance and recognition of the principle that creation of alternative format versions from lawfully acquired originals on a non-profit basis with controlled distribution does not constitute an infringement of copyright and therefore requires no permission.

(a) 這些規定應接受並承認以下原則，亦即以非營利方式，由合法取得之著作物 原本創造其他格式版本，以受控制方式進行散布，不構成侵害著作權，因此不需 取得許可。

(b) They should enshrine rights rather than merely improving procedures for permission.

(b) 這些規定應包含權利，而不僅是改進許可程序。

(c) They should avoid restriction to particular formats or technologies.”

(c) 這些規定不應侷限於特定的格式或科技。」³¹

It is debatable whether this approach would actually lead to an increase in the amount of accessible content available unless some third party with sufficient resources was prepared to take on the task of format conversion. In any event, attempts to change existing law in this way would more than likely be forcefully opposed by many content owners.

如果沒有具備足夠資源的第三者進行格式轉換工作，則這個方向能否增加可取用 內容的數量，仍然有待商榷。無論如何，以這個方式改變現行法，很可能會受到許多 內容所有權人強烈反對。

So what would the appropriate legal framework contain in this respect? Hopefully, answers to the following:

關於這方面的適當法律架構內容會是如何？但願法律能回答以下問題：

– What kind of exceptions or compulsory licence mechanisms can be devised in relation to the rights of rightsholders that on the one hand facilitate access to information by the visually impaired and on the other hand enable rightsholders to exploit fully the markets for their works?

– 關於權利人的權利，可以設計何種例外規定或強制授權機制，一方面能促成

視覺障礙者取用資訊，而另一方面能使權利人充分利用著作市場？

– What rights are implicated by the processes – technological or otherwise – used in facilitating access?

– 用於促成取用的科技或其他程序，涉及何種權利？

– Technological protection measures are now protected by both international and national laws against circumvention. What are the most efficient requirements, including derogations to that protection that can be applied to supporting both the access needs of the visually impaired and the market needs of the rightsholders?

– 目前的國際法與國內法保護了科技保護措施不受規避。為了支持視覺障礙者

的取用需要以及權利人的市場需要，對於該法律保護的最有效率要求，包括 但書規定，其內容為何？

31 See Mann supra.

– What are the best ways of administering the solutions provided within the law?

– 關於法律提供的解決方案，最佳的管理方式為何？

– 關於法律提供的解決方案，最佳的管理方式為何？