Google's Plan For Out-of-Print Books Is Challenged

Death Metal writes to tell us that a growing tide of complaints are being piled at Google's feet in response to a far-reaching settlement that some feel will grant the giant too much power over the "orphan books" they have been scanning into digital format. The settlement could give Google near-exclusivity with respect to the copyright of orphan works — books that the author and publisher have essentially abandoned. They are out of print, and while they remain under copyright, the rights holders are unknown or cannot be found. "Critics say that without the orphan books, no competitor will ever be able to compile the comprehensive online library Google aims to create, giving the company more control than ever over the realm of digital information. And without competition, they say, Google will be able to charge universities and others high prices for access to its database. The settlement, 'takes the vast bulk of books that are in research libraries and makes them into a single database that is the property of Google,' said Robert Darnton, head of the Harvard University library system. 'Google will be a monopoly.'"

Comments

Re:Google will own the books?

[Narpak]

I would agree with this. There is nothing wrong with charging fees to access an extensive database of works. But if Google are to be given exclusive rights to those works for the foreseeable future that would be a negative as far as public domain ownership is concerned.

In fact I would say that long-term corporate ownership of works of literature (in particular after the author is dead and buried) is an abomination.

Re:I don't get it.

[canajin56]

You misunderstand. Google started scanning all sorts of books, out of print and otherwise, and making them searchable. Publishers sued. Rather than go to court, Google settled. Part of the settlement package is that Google gets rights to all of these publishers orphaned works, and I think in exchange they don't let you search in-print text, or at least, they don't let you see the surrounding text, just give you a line and page number? What's preventing others from doing the same is that first you have to scan millions of books BEFORE YOU GET THE LICENSE, then get sued, then throw enough lawyers at the publisher to get them to settle and give you a blanket license to all of their out of print works...

Re:Except that...

[tjstork]

Joe Author needs a reality check. Abandoned property is no longer "his".

So, does that mean that I can go rummage through your attic and start taking all your stuff because you haven't used it in a while?

It's theft dude.