MLA Response to Decision by U.S. District Court of Maryland’s ruling on eBook legislation.

"This hearing has shown that the status quo of publishers charging what they want for limited licensing is unjust. Judge Boardman herself said in the hearing, !It does seem to me that there is inequity and an unfairness on how publishers have treated public libraries.” This inequity is on clear display when it comes to the cost libraries, and in turn taxpayers, pay for physical materials in comparison to the restricted access and high costs of eBooks. Under the current model set by the publishers, libraries pay anywhere from $54 to $75 for a two-year license for a single eBook. By comparison, the printed version of the same book would cost a library $15 to $18 and not be subjected to a time-limited license. This illustrates the truth to our Attorney General’s claim that this is not a matter of copyright protection, but about “the unfair and discriminatory trade practices of publishers at the expense of public libraries.” MLA will follow the proceedings with confidence in our position and with profound thanks to the Maryland Legislature and the Maryland Attorney General"s Office for their determined stance and support. The legislature"s unanimous support is a reflection of the will of Maryland residents that one should not be required to have a credit card to access information. MLA continues to support a call for publishers to enter into discussion with libraries. We further call for library associations to continue to raise awareness of the unfair trade practices and imbalance in terms employed by publishers. Libraries seek reasonable terms so we may ensure that our clients will have access to content; similar to the terms that have been considered reasonable for print material. More than a century’s worth of experience shows that the example of print, and its pricing model, is a fair standard for all: authors, publishers, libraries, and most importantly, readers...."