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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."

6 of 454 comments (clear)

  1. Dinosaurs by eSavior · · Score: 2, Funny

    described the online search engine's library project as a troubling financial threat to its membership
    The horror.

  2. UPAA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dear Association of American University Presses:

    Please rename yourself University Presses Association of America so that we may refer to
    all evil bastard organizations as *AA.

    Thank You!

  3. Google Monday by D_Lehman(at)ISPAN.or · · Score: 4, Funny

    In a letter scheduled to be delivered to Google Monday...

    Did anyone else do a double take on this? I almost crapped myself (Google fanboy)... "OMG, Google is going to customize my weekdays!"

    Saturday will be in Beta 18 months.

    --
    Cleaning the net one sed at a time! s/sex/sermons/; s/hot/holy/; s/goats/thebible/; www.holysermonswiththebible.com
  4. I disagree. by PopeAlien · · Score: 5, Funny

    As I creative person I am offended that someone could possibly catch a glimpse of something I've toiled over without giving me shiny gold coins.

    I think we've got to nip this problem in the bud, and pronto! I think the most expedient system would be some sort of coin operated hood that could be welded onto consumer's heads. If you want to see or hear art, you simply need to drop some coins into the mechanism to open the shutter for a set amount of time.

    This would mean a constant flow of income that could be distributed to all creative people as follows:

    46 % - 'administration'
    28 % - Lawyer fees
    22 % - car payments
    13 % - more lawyer fees
    21 % - distribution .01% - 'artists'
    12 % - math consultants
    8.2% - contingency

    The only possible flaw with this plan is that the percentages add up to more than %100 percent, meaning that there would be an actual loss of profit, but I think the 'artist' could kick in an make up for that loss since they started this whole thing.

  5. Re:I'm not sure if I understand this. by sgant · · Score: 3, Funny

    Screw the why...how about the "how"?

    Imagine the guys and gals working at Google doing nothing but scanning in books.

    Do I need to decypher a billboard from a highway to get a job like this? Do I need a phd in computer science before I'm even considered being put on a list of people that will be called to go stand in the line leading up to filling out the application to work there? Isn't it like a 10 month interview process to where you have to be on-call 24/7 to give yet another interview to someone?

    All this and you end up scanning books.

    --

    "Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
  6. you forgot to include insurance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    In the USA, my car insuarance "liability" payment actually exceeds my income since I have very little income and three vehicles, the state requiring a policy for each one. I think your percentages above 100% can be increased in order to more accurately represent how distribution works in the USA. And I have no wrecks - ever. But if someone else hits me or scratchs my door, the scratch rusts and is not covered by "my" insurance.

    Mercy on Academic Publishers?
    (belly grows wide)
    HO HO HO Ho ! Whaaaa ha ha ha ha.

    Maybe "their turn has come."

    And students can use the HP printer for Hamlet instead of paying $12. for a used paperback with the cover torn off of it from the "University" bookstore.