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"Authors Guild" Skims Half of Google Book-Rights Settlement

Miracle Jones writes "A recent memo from the 'Author's Guild' to the writers and publishers that it supposedly represents shows that only $45 million of the $125 million dollar settlement with Google will be paid to writers, and that the most a writer can receive for a book is $300. Many people speculate that Google's monopoly over all of out-of-copyright works will result in a brutal monopoly that will hurt both writers and readers, and that the 'Author's Guild' had no right to make the deal in the first place. How will it all shake down? Should writers be paid at all for their work? Will Google be any good at the publishing racket?"

2 of 271 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Should writers bother writing for deadbeats? by BitZtream · · Score: 0, Troll

    The problem isn't that writers are getting paid for their work.

    The problem is that the way it is now, great grand children can profit off their work, which is utterly ridiculous.

    'Your Work' is nothing but a pattern of thoughts. You are not the only one capable of those thoughts. It is entirely possibly that I could produce the exact same work as you. Extremely unlikely, sure, but possible. And you think just because you did it first, I should not be able to do it myself? I haven't seen it documented anywhere that god said YOU are the sole source of thought in the universe and that only you are capable of thinking up what you write.

    The very act of my speaking your written words out loud changes them, it makes them now MY work. It is not your work. Your work involved putting it in writing. My work involved speaking it aloud. My work will be different from yours if nothing else but for the fact that I will probably misspeak a word, or read a sentence wrong. You think you own that as well? Perhaps I change it and make it 'better' (or worse for that matter), do you think you are entitled to those rights as well?

    You aren't doing anything new yourself. You speak as if it is YOUR work. Well YOUR work depends on a language developed BY humanity FOR humanity, not for you to profit, so stop using language that everyone else uses, THEN you can call it YOUR work. And YOUR work will be USELESS because it is no longer built on the work of humanity. Its nice that you feel that its okay for you to use the work of those that came before you, but those that come after you have no right to use yours. You my friend are fucked up indeed.

    Do you feel you should still be paying the people who built your home for the rest of their lives and well into their children and grandchildrens lives?

    Why is it different for every other job in the world, except 'artists'. Why are we propping up bad artists, who do it solely for the money? Great artists will do it anyway. Just like every other field in the world, the 'great' works don't come from people who do it for the money.

    You didn't have tell us you were a writer, it was obvious to all in your first sentence. Usually the guy whining is the guy who likes the free ride he's getting and doesn't want to have to get a real job, you just stand out as a prime example.

    Get a job you lazy bum. If people aren't buying your work, it isn't that good. Period. Calling other people lazy for using YOUR work, do something original, then its YOUR work. The instant you wrote in a language you didn't invent, or was built on top of another language then it isn't YOUR work anymore, its a collective work of humanity, to which you made one of the most recent contributions. Your a douchebag for thinking that you made the only contributions, and a douchebag for thinking that you should be compensated for long periods of time for something that provides zero tangible value.

    You point out that communism or socialism aren't known for great works of art as if it was financial incentives that produced histories great works. Funny that the truely great culture in our world has come from people that never profited from selling copies of their original works for years after they were written, or even when they were written.

    If you think you have the only rights to YOUR works, then I demand that you stop using the language that my father, and my entire family tree has contributed to, it is OUR work, and I refuse you rights to use my work.

    Sound ludicrous? Yes, it does. It was meant to as I can not figure out any way to get through the thick skull of people like you that you are not original, nor are you the sole contributor to what you claim as your own, so all of this bullshit you say about 'your work' is just that, bullshit. It IS humanities work. Without humanity your work would not exist. Get over yourself.

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  2. Re:Should writers bother writing for deadbeats? by DM9290 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Putting aside the ridiculous assumption that you have a right to the product of someone else's creative efforts by virtue of being born, people gotta eat, right?

    Aren't you the one making a ridiculous assumption?

    What right do you have to deny me the product of my creative efforts by telling me what I can and can not copy using my own materials. It isn't like anyone stole anything from you when they purchase a copy of your latest masterpiece.

    The product of your creative effort is the ORIGINAL. My copies I made on my own without your help. You might hope I don't copy your work but you have no natural authority over my own hand and my own possessions.

    any copies which I produce of your work which is the product of my creative effort not yours. You might call it uncreative, but I say I worked, and out of that work something was created. if people are willing to pay for mere copies, then the market has spoken.

    Copyright is a form of government taxation on the public for the welfare of copyright owners just like any other form of legal monopoly that interferes with absolute and utter free competition.

    the only reason it exists is because the public believes that this specific form of welfare actually benefits the public. It is NOT for the benefit of the recipients. authors are not invalids. You can go get a job just like anybody else.

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    No one has a right to their *own* opinion. They have a right to the TRUTH.