Comments on: ALA and RLG DigiNews: Two posts in one! http://walt.lishost.org/2005/08/ala-and-rlg-diginews-two-posts-in-one/ The library voice of the radical middle. Fri, 17 May 2013 17:18:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: walt http://walt.lishost.org/2005/08/ala-and-rlg-diginews-two-posts-in-one/comment-page-1/#comment-357 walt Fri, 19 Aug 2005 21:11:35 +0000 http://walt.lishost.org/?p=117#comment-357 The article and the bloggers miss a key point: ALA was the lead plaintiff in the case. There were several different arguments for knocking out the Broadcast Flag. Because the court found one of them sufficient, it did not choose to address the others.

That’s generally how courts work: They craft decisions narrowly.

In fact, ALA’s done a reasonable job in the legislature as well: the library exemptions in sections 108 and 109 wouldn’t be there without ALA’s lobbying.

As I understand it, ALA is known for the effectiveness of its lobbying, particularly given its tiny budget relative to all the corporate lobbyists.

]]> By: Brian http://walt.lishost.org/2005/08/ala-and-rlg-diginews-two-posts-in-one/comment-page-1/#comment-356 Brian Fri, 19 Aug 2005 20:51:47 +0000 http://walt.lishost.org/?p=117#comment-356 Y’know, on this one, I have to agree with the conservative bloggers: The ABA article really seems to be saying that ALA hasn’t accomplished much in Washington. “Active” isn’t the same thing as “effective.”

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