Google's vision of a universal library archiving all books ever published on Earth is once again at odds with laws protecting the authors of those books after the federal judge on Tuesday rejected a settlement deal, Google hammered out with publishers over its controversial Google Books archive.
As per them, the settlement agreement is not at all fair, adequate, and reasonable and it can not be accepted. This decision is the latest twist in a saga that is helping to shape the legal and commercial landscape around digital publishing.
As we know, Google's stated mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. As part of that goal, it struck a deal in 2004 with several major libraries to digitally copy the books in their collections. The company now has an archive of more than 12 million publications. To those who want information to be online and accessible, that's a great idea. To publishers and many of the authors they work with, it's a terrifying one.
Book publishers and their representatives quickly slapped Google with a lawsuit, in reply to which Google prepared a settlement agreement which is a complex, 166-page document. While the company took pains to protect the rights of copyright holders, only tiny snippets are revealed from in-print books, it put the burden on authors and publishers to police their works' inclusion in the archive. Google will remove books on request, but without an explicit request, it will otherwise digitize anything it can get hold of.
Of course, the digitization of books and the creation of a universal library would benefit many, but on the other hand deal would give Google a significant advantage over competitors, rewarding it for engaging in wholesale copying of copyrighted works without permission.
Lets see if Google wins this legal battle or not....
As per them, the settlement agreement is not at all fair, adequate, and reasonable and it can not be accepted. This decision is the latest twist in a saga that is helping to shape the legal and commercial landscape around digital publishing.
As we know, Google's stated mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. As part of that goal, it struck a deal in 2004 with several major libraries to digitally copy the books in their collections. The company now has an archive of more than 12 million publications. To those who want information to be online and accessible, that's a great idea. To publishers and many of the authors they work with, it's a terrifying one.
Book publishers and their representatives quickly slapped Google with a lawsuit, in reply to which Google prepared a settlement agreement which is a complex, 166-page document. While the company took pains to protect the rights of copyright holders, only tiny snippets are revealed from in-print books, it put the burden on authors and publishers to police their works' inclusion in the archive. Google will remove books on request, but without an explicit request, it will otherwise digitize anything it can get hold of.
Of course, the digitization of books and the creation of a universal library would benefit many, but on the other hand deal would give Google a significant advantage over competitors, rewarding it for engaging in wholesale copying of copyrighted works without permission.
Lets see if Google wins this legal battle or not....
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