Bill > S2525

This bill establishes limitations on contract terms for libraries licensing electronic books and digital audiobooks, aiming to prevent unfair sales practices by publishers and aggregators, which are entities that license collections of digital materials from multiple publishers. The bill defines various terms like "aggregator," "digital audiobook," "electronic book," and "library" to clarify its scope. Key provisions include that Rhode Island law will govern these contracts, and that contracts cannot restrict a library's ability to license materials, use technological protection measures for lending, make preservation copies, loan materials via interlibrary loan, determine loan periods, acquire licenses at prices higher than the public pays, restrict the number of licenses after an item is available to the public, impose cost-per-circulation fees unless cheaper than outright purchase, restrict the total number of loans or license duration without offering perpetual licenses, or limit the ability to virtually recite text or display artwork in a way that diminishes educational utility. Contracts also cannot prevent libraries from disclosing terms to other libraries or force them to violate patron record confidentiality laws. The bill declares that contracts with prohibited provisions are unconscionable and unenforceable, and offers remedies under existing consumer protection laws, but will only become enforceable after the Attorney General confirms at least two other states have enacted substantially similar laws covering a combined population of at least ten million people. This act takes effect upon passage.

Education

https://status.rilegislature.gov/