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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 2019)
B4 THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, AuguST 27, 2019 FIELD TEST Candidates Wanted URGENT NOTICE: You may be qualified to participate in a special Field Test of new hearing instrument technology being held at a local test site. Audible is being sued by publishers. Top publishers sue Audible over planned captioning feature By HILLEL ITALIE Associated Press NEW YORK — Some of the country’s top publishers are suing Audible, citing copyright infringement as they ask a federal judge to enjoin the audiobook producer-dis- tributor’s planned use of captions for an edu- cation-driven program. The so-called “Big Five” of publishing — Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishers and Macmillan Publishers — are among the plaintiffs in the suit filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the Southern Dis- trict of New York. The legal action comes in response to “Audible Captions,” which Audible announced in July and indicated would be formally launched as students return this fall, with titles including “Catch- 22,” ‘’The Hunger Games” and “The Hate U Give.” “Audible Captions takes publishers’ pro- prietary audiobooks, converts the narra- tion into unauthorized text, and distributes the entire text of these ‘new’ digital books to Audible’s customers,” the lawsuit reads. “Audible’s actions — taking copyrighted works and repurposing them for its own ben- efit without permission — are the kind of quintessential infringement that the Copy- right Act directly forbids.” Other publishers suing are Scholastic and Chronicle Books. Audible, which is owned by Amazon. com, said in a statement that it was disap- pointed by the lawsuit and “any implication that we have not been speaking and working with publishers about this feature, which has not yet launched.” The company said the captions are intended to help children who are not read- ing be able to engage with books through lis- tening. “This feature would allow such lis- teners to follow along with a few lines of machine-generated text as they listen to the audio performance,” the statement said. “It is not and was never intended to be a book.” Maria Pallante, who heads the Asso- ciation of American Publishers, told The Associated Press in a recent interview that repeated efforts to address its concerns with Audible — including cease-and-desist let- ters — had failed to produce any changes. “They said something along the lines of ‘We’ve received your communications and considered them and don’t agree with them and do not intend to stop,’” said Pallante, the trade group’s president and CEO. Audible, which is the dominant producer in the thriving audiobook market, said it still wants to work with publishers and others “to help them better understand the education and accessibility benefits of this innovation.” Audible Captions would be available for free to students and also could be used by Audible members who already pay a monthly fee. A video demonstration of the program uses Dickens’ “David Copperfield” as an example and shows computer-gen- erated words appearing on the screen of a smartphone as the narrator reads from the text. In announcing Audible Captions, com- pany founder Don Katz said the program would help young people who struggle to read books. “We know from years and years of work, that parents and educators, in partic- ular, understand that an audio experience of well-composed words is really important in developing learners,” Katz told USA Today in July. In Friday’s lawsuit, publishers contend that Audible has acknowledged that up to 6% of a given book’s captions would be erroneous, with mistakes including tran- scribing the Yiddish expression “mazel tov” as “mazel tough.” In addition to enjoining Audible Cap- tions, publishers in Friday’s lawsuit are seek- ing an undetermined amount of damages “they have sustained and will sustain, and any gains, profits and advantages obtained by Audible” through the new program. Not so sunny marriage Dear Annie: I’m a 30-year-old male tropical destination, Sonny wanted no part of in my first year of marriage to a charming, any sexual romance. Of course, this crushed beautiful woman, “Sonny.” I am madly in me. Though I always think of “Sonny” as an love with this woman, and she says the same enthusiastic sexual partner, she never initi- to me. This is a second marriage for both of ates intimacy between us. We have been to a marriage coun- us. Unfortunately, I’m finding out that she selor, whose concluding comment to me has lied to me about a number of things, was, “Some beautiful women are like and my love for her is being weakened by that,” meaning they need attention from these revelations. We met shortly after she other men, I think. I’m seriously consider- ing divorce, though I’m still in love had broken up with another man. She DEAR with her. I’m feeling used, and find told me that it was over. However, ANNIE myself responding to some situations during our dating prior to marriage I between us with anger. Can this mar- learned that she was still seeing him, riage be saved? — Feeling Torn and sleeping with him on nights we Dear Torn: You are not paint- were not together. At one point, she ing a very sunny picture of Sonny. even suggested that we three should Unless the two of you had a previ- live together, and she would alter- ous understanding that infidelity was nate nights with each of us. I wasn’t about to accept that. We’re married ANNIE LANE part of the deal, her actions would Creators leave anyone feeling used. Your ther- now, but I know she still has at least Syndicate Inc. apist’s observation that “some beau- a phone relationship with him. tiful women are just this way” seems Her mother has recently moved in with us because I was told that circum- dismissive and flippant. You might consider stances in her life created that need. I’ve since seeing another therapist. learned that those dire straits were untrue. Unless you are OK with Sonny’s infidel- Most nights I go to bed alone because Sonny ity, this marriage will only bring you dark- is chatting with her mother, with whom she’s ness and hurt. It’s time to find a new therapist always had a close relationship, and with who helps you better understand what you would like out of a marriage. And then you whom she lived when we first met. Recently, Sonny has contacted a man she need to tell Sonny in no uncertain terms what met during her first marriage. She set up a that is, perhaps being faithful. And what’s meeting with him. I have no idea what trans- with her mother? Is she enabling or encour- pired between them, neither initially nor at aging Sonny to split the two of you apart? When I read your letter, I couldn’t help this time. I do know he has a child named but wonder why you married her if you knew for her. I’ve just learned that one of her children, she was cheating on you when you were dat- supposedly from her first marriage, was ing. With good therapy, you can both decide fathered by another man during a period of if you want to stay together and make it work, or go your separate ways. Best of luck separation in that marriage. On a recent romantic long weekend to a to you. 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