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Publishers Thank Google for Book Sales
eldavojohn writes "A few book publishers are actually thanking Google for an apparent rise in sales due to Google's scan plan. Google is busy defending itself against authors and publishers that have brought lawsuits for ignoring copyrights. The director of the Oxford University Press said, 'Google Book Search has helped us turn searchers into consumers.' It seems to work in favor of the smaller publishers: 'Walter de Gruyter/Mouton-De Gruyter, a German publisher, said its encyclopedia of fairy tales has been viewed 471 times since appearing in the program, with 44 percent of them clicking on the 'buy this book' Google link.' Do you think that Google's 'sneak peak' search access increases sales or violates copyrights on intellectual property?"
Yeah, that's why they used OR and not XOR
If they are using this privilege we have granted them to line their own pocketses at the expense of the advance of science and/or art... seems it's our duty to revoke the copyright we have granted them.
Simple Machines in Higher Dimensions
Basically, yes, Google is violating the copyrights, when they scan the books in. This is a copyright violation.
This is not, however, what is upsetting the the authors and book publishers. What upsets them is that google is allowing other people to search, which is fairly clearly fair use, given how much is displayed. They want a cut of the money stream, of any possible monetization of their works, even though that is not what copyright entitles them to.
(Counting this as a copyright violation is going to be horrendous once we have AI...)
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say
Do you think that Google's 'sneak peak' search access increases sales or violates copyrights on intellectual property?
When I walk into a bookstore, I can peruse books before buying.
Now, I can peruse books via Google before buying.
In the first, I can physically handle books. In the second, I can electronically handle books.
The only difference I see between the two, is that, via Google, I don't have to leave home to peruse, and buy, books.
Registered Linux user # 170078
Does flipping through a book in the bookstore violate copyright? No. Any publisher that doesn't want people reading books they haven't bought had better not sell them in stores or sell them to libraries. Holy crap, I'm surprised the library system hasn't been either sued or legislated out of existence, due to the impact their socialist practices have had on book sales.
Take copyright out of the question. Not wanting people to preview your material is stupid business practice, and bad for consumers and the public.
Google Book Search provides online what book stores already can in RL.
Terrorists can attack freedom, but only Congress can destroy it.
FYI, bookstores "buy" books from publishers with the right to return them for full credit if they don't sell. So in real life, in the end, publishers supply them on consignment.
Not only that, authors share the risk. They only get royalties on books that customers actually buy, not on copies *shipped to* bookstores.
Even more fun, the bookstore gets as much of the total retail price of the book -- about 50% -- as the publisher and author combined.
It's a sick system, especially for the authors, which is why so many of us (I've written three books) are starting to look into alternative publishing and distribution channels.
- Robin