RSSPublishers Take Issue with Google Print
By Ed Oswald | Published May 25, 2005, 1:32 PM
A group of academic publishers earlier this week sent a six-page letter to Google voicing their opposition to the search giant's plans to catalog books for its Web searches, and said that the project "appears to involve systematic copyright infringement on a massive scale."
Google Print for Libraries will allow users to search through books and periodicals that the company has added to its database. Upon its launch in December, the project had support from several academic libraries -- Harvard, Michigan, and Stanford -- who will allow the company access to digitize its book catalog.
But now some book publishers are getting cold feet and are worried that Google Print may end up hurting them financially.
The group says it agreed to Google Print for Publishers, which allowed the publishers themselves to decide what books would be included in searches, and to opt out if they felt so inclined. However, Google is using Fair Use laws to gain rights to copy the university books for Google Print for Libraries, a move that publishers are not happy with.
"It is built on a fundamental, broad-sweeping violation of the Copyright Act, and this large-scale infringement has the potential for serious financial damage to the members of AAUP," the publishers said.
The group asked for a response by June 20, and enclosed a list of 16 questions for Google to answer. The group made it clear, however, that their intentions were not to stop the Google Print service from being launched altogether.
"Google Print for Libraries has wonderful potential," the letter said. "But that potential can only be realized if the program itself respects the rights of copyright owners and the underlying purpose of copyright law."
Fine then, I won't buy books now either
http://www.gutenberg.org/
Score: 0
|from their faq:
"For books that we have scanned from a library which are still in copyright, you will only be able to view the bibliographic information and a few short sentences of text around your search term."
Sounds harmless. This whole thing is another big fuss over nothing.
Score: 0
|Wahh...my copyrights...wahh wahhh.
Embrace the internet or be destroyed by it.
There is money to be made by all, if the copyright holders wiuld just open there eyes.
Score: 0
|Here here!
Score: 0
|So I can go to the library and check books out for free, read them, and return them without violating copyright laws. But when Google tries to save me some time and gas money by putting these same books online in a digital format allowing me to read them for free without having to leave the house we are suddenly infringing on the publishers ability to make a quick buck? I am REALLY confused by this. WTF
Score: 0
|When you go to the library, you check out an actual book that the publisher made, which the library had to purchase from the publisher. The library doesn't hand out photocopies of the books to everybody who wants to read it.
Google is making these books from the libraries available online, essentially copies the publisher did not authorize.
The idea is great, but it should be up to the publishers.
Score: 0
|OK, fine... so Google can use some of their funding to buy appropriate copies from the publishers. Would that make you feel better? I get what I want-- access to books and knowledge... and publishers get what they want... more money.
Score: 0
|RobertM,
You are right.
Personally I think that Google is crossing way too many boundries these days. They are throwing their weight around because they are the 1200 lb. gorilla. Something needs to happen to bite them in the butt.
Google is the devil. :) LOL
Score: 0
|yea. soon enough, we have to pay taxes to water the trees so that we can breath the air they produce (rolls eyes).jeez copyright this copyright that...
Score: 0
|News flash: it is up to the publishers. Google is only making content available that was authorized by the publishers.
Score: 0
|news flash, today I copyrighted the process used to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen... so you ALL now owe me royalties for use of my copyright that you use every time you breathe, because you are benefiting from my copyrighted trees and plants :)
Score: 0
|the internet itself is the devil hehehehe
because of the internet, billions of small businesses called BBS's were put out of business.
:) all ex-sysops, unite in a class action suit against the net LOL
Score: 0
|And thats what it comes down to. The publishers need money to publish books. If they fall into the google camp they will find them selves selling a copyright to google and then never selling that book again cause people can get it for free on google. No money for the publisher = no pulishing = no books for google to scan
I like the idea, would have made my degree a lot easier! but if this was microsoft trying to do the same thing, people would be up in arms about the evil M$ but as it is google everyone seems to be fine about it.
Score: 0
|What they need to do is open their own site and charge a small fee for it. There are secure ways to show information on the internet without giving users full access to it for copying or saving.(I know you know this) Like a library on the Internet. I can logon to a Univsity's website now and get access to periodical snapshots, or logon to a Newspaper's website and browse their archives(for a fee). The Internet is about accessing information that you don't have easy access to. A logical place to move libraries. Everyone can access.
Publishers should have seen this one coming way before Google. They should find a way to use it rather than complain at the innovative thought of others.
PS. I too hate Google in what they are beginning to do(ie keep information about searches)(seems almost CIA type activity), but their business thinking is great.
This whole scenario is like P2P for booksworms. Bookworms will be creating their own program to share books called "TaDaa".
Score: 0
|