STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6980
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 9, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Consumer Affairs and Protection
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to prohibiting
publishers from limiting the number of copies of e-books available at
public libraries
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
2 338 to read as follows:
3 § 338. E-books. 1. For the purposes of this section, the following
4 terms shall have the following meanings:
5 a. "E-book" shall mean a book published in or converted to digital
6 format for display on a computer screen or handheld electronic device.
7 b. "Public library" shall mean a library, other than a professional,
8 technical or public school library, established for free public purposes
9 by official action of a municipality or district or the legislature,
10 where the whole interests belong to the public, or any other library
11 maintained for the benefit and free use on equal terms of all the people
12 of the community in which such library is located.
13 2. No person, partnership, limited partnership, unincorporated joint-
14 stock association, or corporation publishing a book for sale in New York
15 state in an e-book format shall, in any way, limit the number of copies
16 of such e-book which may be made available for rental at any public
17 library in New York state.
18 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
19 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07788-03-3
