The Google Books Debate Rages On

As promised here are a few of the latest developments in the ongoing Google Books debate.

1. Librarians are lining up against the project. They are citing problems with conducting research.

Librarians apply scrutiny to Google Books at Berkeley con
(LINK)
Google Book Search - Is it The Last Library?
(LINK)

2. The European Commission discussed how best to digitise works. The biggest difference between their proposal and Google's is that there will be no scanning of in-copyright works.

EU consults on problems of digitising libraries
(LINK)
EU likes Google's book registry idea
(LINK)

3. Meanwhile Germany weighs in with its opinion.

Germany says Google Books violates international law
(LINK)

4. The Anti versus Pro arguments are succinctly laid out in the following articles.

(ANTI) Internet Archive stares down Google book mine
(LINK)
(PRO) A spirited defense of the Google Book Search settlement
(LINK)

[for those who want a truly ANTI view read Amazon's condemnation of the project HERE]

5. Sony has something to add.

Sony lines up with Google over Books deal
(LINK)

6. Google has the last word...for now, reminding us that the "social justice and social utility impact" of its project is being lost in the debate.

Google tries to sidestep criticism of $125m book project
(LINK)

Google Books

In 2007, while I was a student in University College Cork, I authored a paper entitled "Don't Be Evil - The Google 'Book Search' Project". The paper dealt with an examination of Google's "Book Search" Project and whether it would pass a "fair use" copyright test. I was pretty proud of my work, and it was even shortlisted for the prestigious Matheson Ormsby Prentice Undergraduate Prize in Information Technology Law. As a result, I have tried to keep an eye on the Project and so, even though it may not fit in with the overall theme of this blog, I will from time to time include any updates here.

The first of these updates is the news that Google has struck a deal to scan and digitize in copyright, but out of print works, including "orpan" works, i.e. works where it is almost impossible to identify the copyright holder(1).

The second update is that the US Government is close to scuppering the deal with their concern about the possibility of a Google monopoly over "orphan" works.

The third update is that the French National Library is allowing Google access to its archive, after the library's calls for a European Union online book repository were ignored.

The fourth update is that Google's rivals (Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon) are also trying to defeat the deal with a view to preventing Google becoming a "book gatekeeper". [Can anyone smell irony?!]

Commentators are divided on the issue, saying on the one hand that if Google has the resources and the capability to save "orphan" works then it should even if the motivation is profit. On the other hand, a monopoly of orphaned works might lead to more difficulties.

As I stated in the conclusion to my paper, "After all, as George Orwell wrote: “Who controls the past controls the future”, and Google could be said to be going a long way towards this end... Similarly it could be seen as creating the need for more responsibility from corporations such as Google, who are now effectively acting as the stewards of information for the public. But these worries might well be unfounded seeing as Google believes, at least informally, in the phrase: “Don’t be evil”.

A copy of my paper can be found HERE.

Footnote

(1) "Orphan" Works, Wikipedia Entry, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphan_works

Source

Can Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon help scuttle Google's book settlement?
(LINK)
Lawyer files a full-throated attack on Google Books deal
(LINK)
Google annexes Bibliothèque Nationale de France
(LINK)
Just let Google give us the books already!
(LINK)
Justice inquiries into Google Book Deal show it's all but dead
(LINK)