Publishers Protest Google Library Project

gollum123 writes "A group of academic publishers is challenging Google Inc.'s plan to scan millions of library books into its Internet search engine index, highlighting fears that the ambitious project will violate copyrights and stifle future sales. In a letter scheduled to be delivered to Google Monday, the Association of American University Presses described the online search engine's library project as a troubling financial threat to its membership -- 125 nonprofit publishers of academic journals and scholarly books. The university presses depend on books sales and other licensing agreements for most of their revenue, making copyright protections essential to their survival."

Comments

But ONLY on books still IN PRINT.

[crovira]

That doesn't mean in a wharehouse somewhere either.

A large proportion of books get a run of 1k or 2k volumes and 'dissapear' from the bookstore shelves within a year of two from being published.

Its simply isn't worth it to the book stores.

The books end their lives mouldering away in the remainder bins of 'discount book' stores and Salvation Army rummage sales (and don't earn another dime for the publishers.)

I've got some books that I've been looking for for years and won't find anywhere for any amount of money.

And that's just because of the storage costs, never mind that they aren't printed on acid free paper and are currently disappearing into 'slow smoke.'

I regret to state that the book publishers are trying to create a new revenue stream from nothing because they didn't care to do so before.

Screw 'em!

Let 'em lose the rights to scan ALL books that they can't be bothered to keep on the shelves.

Let 'em be forced to sell the rights to ALL the books that they can't be bothered to keep up to date.

Have you bought some school books lately?

They cost a nickle less than photo-copying the entire book would at the for-profit school copier.

They keep coming out with new 'editions' for accounting books and, man do they CHARGE!. Over a hundred bucks for an HR Management book and you can't use last years! (Like ALL of the laws governing HR ahd changed. Pshaw...)

Re:I'm not sure if I understand this.

[zippthorne]

You paid for the nonsensical ravings of a deranged dillettante? I can sum up Moore's work from "Columbine" on:

Something Is wrong with society and you should all be ashamed. But [insert item] isn't it. But it contributes to it. or maybe not. You people make me sick and you should be sick too.

Of course, his patronizing tone is much harder to capture in a snippit, but I think i got the gist of it. For $10 plus shipping and handling, I will print a greeting card with the previous statements and mail it to you.