Authors Guild Appeals Lower Court Decision Backing Google’s Book Digitizing Project
The issue is whether Google’s project violates the copyrights of some of the millions of scanned books, or whether it has a valid “fair use” exception.
Topic: Digital library
Ending Decade Of Litigation, Court OKs Google Book Scanning As “Fair Use”
A three-judge panel for the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals has definitively ruled that Google’s full-text book scanning is “fair use” and thus protected from claims of copyright infringement. So unless The Authors Guild, which originally sued Google in 2005, wants to appeal to the US Supreme Court, Google has won. Fair use is […]
Court Finds Google’s Book Scanning Is Fair Use: Highlights From The Ruling
Nearly ten years after it began and eight years after Google was sued over it, Google’s program that scans books in order to make them searchable has been found legal. A judge found fair use, especially in that “Google Books does not supersede or supplant books because it is not a tool to be used to […]
Google Makes Deal To Scan Some French Books
While a US court is still deciding the fate of the Google book scanning settlement, the company has announced a deal with the biggest publisher in France that gives Google the go-ahead to scan some French books. But the key word there is “some.” As The New York Times reports, publishing company Hachette Livre will […]
Keywords, Aboutness & SEO
Do your web pages, graphic images, and videos effectively communicate aboutness to both web searchers and search engines? How do search engines and searchers determine aboutness?
Study: Google Book Search Doesn’t Hurt Publishers, May Help Them
While the wait continues for a decision in the long-running Google Book Search lawsuit and settlement proposal, a new study throws cold water on the idea that Google Book Search is bad for the publishing industry. And the study suggests that Google’s scanning and digital previews of books may be helping publishers sell more books. […]
US Dept. Of Justice: Court “Lacks Authority To Approve” Google Book Search Settlement
With a final “fairness hearing” scheduled for February 18, the US Department Of Justice has filed briefs (PDF) in opposition to the Google Book Search Amended Settlement Agreement (“ASA”). The DOJ commends the parties for their efforts to reach an amended agreement that addresses some of the problems with the original settlement but concludes that […]
Arrêtez Google!: EU Reportedly Developing Joint Alternative To Book Project
According to Reuters, French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said the European Union intends to develop a plan to offer a public and pan-European alternative to Google’s book scanning project. The French, among others, filed formal objections and opposition to the Google Book Search settlement with the court in New York this past September. An amended […]
Revised Google Book Settlement Filed & Live Blogging The Press Call
As expected, a revised Google Book Settlement has been filed today — about as late as possible. The agreement narrows the scope to the US, UK, Canada and Australia. It alters how revenue generated by “unclaimed works” will be handled. It formally grants retailers who license out-of-print books covered by the settlement — including Google […]
Brin Defends Book Search Settlement; Google & Plaintiffs Get One Month To Revise It
The clock is ticking: Google and the parties involved in the Book Search lawsuit settlement have one month from today — until November 9 — to revise the settlement and satisfy the recent objections from the US Justice Department and others. That may seem like an ambitious timeframe given the amount of objections the settlement […]
Google Book Search Settlement: What Will Happen Now?
Judge Denny Chin of the US District Court, who is presiding over the Google Book Search Settlement and was prepared to approve it until legions of opponents came forward, summarizes the dilemma facing all interested parties in his recent order (via the NY Times), taking the impending October 7 final settlement hearing off the calendar: […]
Department Of Justice Files Objections To Google Book Search Settlement
As expected, the US Department Of Justice today has filed a list of objections and modifications it would like seen made in the proposed settlement to the Google Book Search lawsuit. It’s not saying that the settlement should go back to square one. In fact, it suggests that “momentum” potentially could be lost to improve […]
Google’s Schmidt To Book Settlement Critics: What’s Your Solution?
As the proposed Google Book Search lawsuit settlement is debated, I’ve read calls from various critics that everything should go back to “square one” for a solution. Would Google be willing to do this? Google CEO Eric Schmidt says he’s open to ideas, but none of the critics are putting forward new solutions that would […]
Google Books Settlement: Is The Open Book Alliance Trying To Get Something For Nothing?
The legal briefs were flying fast and furiously as all the interest groups, supporters and competitors rushed to meet a deadline for third parties to weigh in on the Google Book Search settlement. The NY Times quotes legal scholars who argue that the “quality” and volume of the filings in the case will make it […]
Google Gives Some Ground In Books Row, France Moves To Protect “Orphans”
Google reportedly made a number of concessions to European officials concerned about the European implications of the Google Books Search settlement deal. The company is fighting on both sides of the Atlantic to gain regulatory and judicial acceptance of the deal previously announced, which has been criticized by a number of self-interested parties and legal […]
Germany Challenges Google Book Settlement
Germany has joined the growing chorus of people, groups, and even nations that are against the proposed settlement of a lawsuit over Google’s scanning of copyrighted books and making them available online. The Wall Street Journal reports that the German government filed its opposition on Monday. The full filing appears to be available on Justia.com. […]
Microsoft, Yahoo, & Amazon Will Fight Google Book Settlement
There are several reports (see New York Times and Wall Street Journal) that Microsoft, Yahoo, and Amazon will join a coalition aimed at challenging the Google book settlement. Peter Brantley, director of the Internet Archive, which is putting the coalition together, tells the Wall Street Journal that coalition members want the agreement revised, but aren’t […]
DOJ Increases Scrutiny Of Google Book Settlement
The Wall Street Journal reports that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has sent formal requests (“civil investigative demands”) to book publishers and Google regarding particulars of their book search settlement deal. That settlement has drawn considerable criticism from various third parties. The article characterized the requests as an “escalation” of the DOJ’s probe: A […]
Google Book Search Settlement Delayed
Publishers Weekly is reporting that a judge has granted a four-month extension on the deadline for affected parties to object to or opt out of the proposed Google Book Search settlement. (You can read Judge Denny Chin’s ruling on Scribd.) Last week, a group of authors asked the presiding judge for four additional months to […]
Growing Opposition To Google Book Search Settlement
The settlement that ended the litigation against Google’s book scanning/search project must still be approved by the courts, although tentative approval has already been given. Among other aspects of the settlement, Google is to pay $125 million to fund a “Book Rights Registry” that will help resolve claims by authors and publishers and cover legal […]
Will Google Book Search Help Or Hurt Libraries And Book Sales?
The NY Times runs a longish article about Google Book Search, its outlook and some fears surrounding its further development. Book Search was freed from legal entanglements when Google settled a class action suit against it. That opened the door for a range of new services and the expanded scanning of out-of-print and copyrighted material.
Google Book Search Lawsuit To Be Settled? Plus, University Partners Launch HathiTrust Archive
Via Resource Shelf, we learn of a report in Library Journal that says Google is close to settling a three-year-old lawsuit with publishers surrounding Google Book Search. Meanwhile, some of Google’s university partners have banded together to launch their own book search service, Hathi Trust. In the legal case, five publishers sued to stop Google […]
More Google Book Scanning Controversy
The Google Book Scanning project has been controversial from the start. There are a number of competitive efforts, including from Microsoft and the Yahoo-supported Open Content Alliance, which appear to replicate the competition among these companies in other areas online. Now Ars Technica explores a new phase of the debate sparked when the University of […]
The Politics of Book Search: Some Research Libraries Decline to Offer Books to Microsoft, Google
An article in the New York Times today explores the “book search” initiatives at Google and Microsoft and the resistance of some research libraries to participating. The reason cited is that both search providers are asking for exclusivity: “Libraries that agree to work with Google must agree to a set of terms, which include making […]
Microsoft Adds In-Copyright Books & New Features To Live Search Books
Today Microsoft announced that they have added in-copyright books to Live Search Books. Microsoft said they have only included books that their publishing partners have given permission to include. In addition, Live Search Books upgraded their design to enable two pane browsing of books. On the left pane are book details with “search inside the […]
Google Book Search Expands
Although Google currently has a wealth of books in their Google Book Search database, this isn’t enough either for them or us, so they’ve taken steps to improve the situation. If you now do a search, you’ll find references to millions of books that they haven’t yet digitized. You can then click on an “About […]
University Of Lausanne Joins Google Book Search Library Project
Both the Google Book Search Blog and the Google Librarian Central Blog have announced that University of Lausanne in Switzerland has joined the Google Book Search Library Project. The university will digitize books not only in French but also in English, German, Latin, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and other languages.
Google Book Search And Libraries: An Overview
Via Google Librarian Central, Information Today has an informative overview called Google book search, libraries and their digital copies. It is written from the perspective of librarians Jill Grogg and Beth Ashmore. The entire article is worth reading, but I think it’s also worth highlighting a few of the important points regarding the project.
Baidu & Google Go Head To Head With Chinese Book Search
Google, Baidu race to set up online library in China via Reuters reports that Baidu and Google are going at it to be the largest and best book search service in China. Reuters writes that Peking University Library in Beijing, “one of Asia’s largest academic libraries,” already has a partnership agreement with Baidu. We reported […]
Dissecting Microsoft Slams At Google As Copyright Infringer
Last October, Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer gave us a taste of how Microsoft was going to position Google as a copyright leech. Today, Microsoft launched a full-out assault on the company. Google deserves some of this, no doubt. But the idea as Microsoft as some altruistic copyright savior deserves some critical analysis, as well. Below, I’ll dissect Microsoft’s slams against […]
Google Book Search To Add Chinese Books
AsiaMedia reports that Google has partnered with Cite Publishing Holding Group to bring Chinese books to Google Book Search. The service will enable users to search and read up to 20% of a book on their computer. The initial launch will be about 1,000 books, but they hope to have 3,000 book titles in Google […]
Battle For Books: Evil Google Versus The Altruistic Open Content Alliance
Google Book-Scanning Efforts Spark Debate from the Associated Press is an excellent look how the rivalry between Google’s library scanning project and that of the Open Content Alliance — backed by Yahoo and Microsoft — is getting more heated. Google pretty much comes off as the evil company trying to lock up books for its […]
Google Launches Google Patents, Full-Text US Patent Searching
Google has rolled out a new Google Patents search engine (Official Google Blog post here), allowing people to search across the full-text of US patents from 1790 through the middle of 2006. The company plans to update the service further with more 2006 filings and move to a weekly or better refresh schedule in the […]