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Google Books Wins Again (documentcloud.org)

cpt kangarooski writes: After Google won a lawsuit brought by the Authors Guild alleging that Google's project to scan and provide a searchable index of books was copyright infringement, Google has now won the inevitable appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The court found that Google is engaging in fair use, and reminds all that "[t]he ultimate goal of copyright is to expand public knowledge and understanding." The ruling (PDF) adds, "while authors are undoubtedly important intended beneficiaries of copyright, the ultimate, primary intended beneficiary is the public."

120 comments

  1. Ok by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gotcha

  2. I got a laugh by The+Real+Dr+John · · Score: 3, Insightful

    from the humorous comment about how "[t]he ultimate goal of copyright is to expand public knowledge and understanding". They are such kidders.

    --
    A brain is a terrible thing to waste... Mind? That's debatable.
    1. Re:I got a laugh by MouseR · · Score: 2

      Yeah that's retarded.

      Does this mean MusicMatch and other lyrics Apps no longer need to pay royalties, since they "expand the public knowledge and understanding" of mumbly singers?

    2. Re:I got a laugh by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 4, Informative

      No, because the latest hip-hop album about "pimpin hoes" and "bein a gangsta" doesn't do that in any appreciable way. However books, particularly ones relating to science and technology, do have that effect. And Google isn't just giving the books away to the public, rather they're offering snippets for the purpose of reference, constituting fair use, whereas MusicMatch gives you the whole song.

    3. Re:I got a laugh by cjb658 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's what it was originally intended to do, but now we extend copyrights well beyond the author's death and allow companies to claim copyright on things like the Happy Birthday song. It's become a joke.

    4. Re:I got a laugh by rahvin112 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Happy birthday was just found (by a court) the other day to be in the public domain. Just saying.

    5. Re:I got a laugh by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 1

      No it wasn't. You need to read the story again.

    6. Re:I got a laugh by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

      No, because the latest hip-hop album about "pimpin hoes" and "bein a gangsta" doesn't do that in any appreciable way.

      In your opinion. However, you are stating a subjective opinion. What is art and literature to some in not to others, and the other way around.

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    7. Re: I got a laugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Think about it.
      Without copyright you couldn't monetise your knowledge and so wouldn't publish publicly.
      Your knowledge would only be shared with individuals prepared to pay you and sign NDA contracts.

    8. Re:I got a laugh by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1

      That's true if you're doing some kind of liberal arts program, like studying the development of Modern Ebonics, but beyond that its practical use is somewhat limited.

    9. Re:I got a laugh by david_thornley · · Score: 2

      GP is right, although the ruling was not definitive. What the court said was that the evidence of an existing copyright was invalid. Theoretically, someone could come up with a valid claim, but I really, really don't expect it.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    10. Re:I got a laugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      its practical use is somewhat limited.

      Allowing your hoes to run wild and letting wack rappers step to the mic are both impractical approaches.

    11. Re:I got a laugh by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      Which essentially says for a 100+ year old song it is in the public domain. Since there is evidence of the lyrics dating back to the late 1800s, and there are published lyric/melody records no later than 1911, it's pretty much a done deal. Whether they can claim a set of performed arrangements as being under copyright is immaterial. IANACL.

      That there's still an argument over a possible existing copyright of a melody and lyrics that were both published prior to 1880, and quite likely were themselves derivatives of works dating back before 1850 show just how broken current copyright law is. Reapplying the 14+14 with registration as conditions of obtaining copyright seem more than reasonable in today's world. Most of the money is made in the first few years anyways.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    12. Re: I got a laugh by Aaron+B+Lingwood · · Score: 1

      Without copyright you couldn't monetise your knowledge

      There are many individuals and organizations that place their work in the public domain, use a lesser form of copyright (CC, GPL), or otherwise give their rights away. They monetise their knowledge by being proficient or pioneering. Then there are people who want to control the knowledge but fail to monetise it.

      ... and so wouldn't publish publicly.

      Money is not the sole reason for publishing. I would also say that it isn't even a top reason for publishing. Recognition, fame, sharing, sense of achievement, and sense of community are all great reasons why one would publish. I publish comments without payment. I publish blogs without advertising revenue. I publish source code without a licencing fee. Why? Because I value the betterment of society higher than having the freedom to have someone else water my lawn.

      --
      [Rent This Space]
  3. Summary Makes It Sound Like a Reasonable Ruling by joelsherrill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The devil must be in the details.

  4. Wow.. right! by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "[t]he ultimate goal of copyright is to expand public knowledge and understanding."

    Not in Soviet, I mean Corporate America. In Corporate America, copyright own you!

    Yes, this is what the true goal of copyright is, and kudos for actually understanding the real purpose. Millions of teachers in millions of college classrooms today will be teaching that copyright is for making money and nothing more.

  5. please extend to *music and video* copyright by TomR+teh+Pirate · · Score: 1

    "Happy Birthday to You" is still in contention as copyright material. It's ridiculous.

    1. Re:please extend to *music and video* copyright by Whatanut · · Score: 3, Informative

      Fair point. But invalid as of last month. It was ruled to be in the public domain.

      --

      yvan eht nioj
    2. Re:please extend to *music and video* copyright by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      > Fair point. But invalid as of last month. It was ruled to be in the public domain.

      No, actually, the ruling just determined that Warner/Chappell doesn't own the copyright. Someone could still come forward with a claim.

    3. Re:please extend to *music and video* copyright by Jason+Levine · · Score: 4, Informative

      Anyone that comes forward now claiming to own "Happy Birthday To You" would need to explain why they 1) didn't assert their claim before this and 2) didn't contest the Warner/Chappell assertion of owning the copyright. They'd have a big uphill battle to get their copyright recognized.

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
    4. Re:please extend to *music and video* copyright by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

      Well, alright then...

      I'm the one who wrote the damn thing, 127 years ago. In a previous life. And I therefore release it to the public domain.

      Are you happy?

    5. Re:please extend to *music and video* copyright by rahvin112 · · Score: 2

      And get past the fact that warner/chappell was the only one that might have had a claim on it as they had rights going back to someone that claimed to be the original author.

    6. Re:please extend to *music and video* copyright by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Much obliged sir/ma'am. Would you like me to sing it for you? I can't sing worth a damn but I'll try - if you want.

    7. Re:please extend to *music and video* copyright by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      I sir or madam am the true owner of this incredible piece of art. I have been in a coma for years as Warner beat me over a head with a shovel and left me for dead so that they could steal my copyright.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    8. Re: please extend to *music and video* copyright by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But the size of that uphill battle will be inversely proportional to the size of their wallet.

    9. Re:please extend to *music and video* copyright by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But you can't use happy birthday as an example, because even if it is in practise free, it is still copyrighted work not in public domain. It is a special case for this one song (ok there can be others too, but i guess this is the only one known, to me atleast). So use another really public domain song as an example of public domain, if there's one.

      It does matter if it's really public domain or just "public domain" because no one is able to claim it.

  6. Wot by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 2

    >> while authors are undoubtedly important intended beneficiaries of copyright, the ultimate, primary intended beneficiary is the public

    In whose lifetime?

    1. Re:Wot by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 4, Informative

      Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution, known as the Copyright Clause, empowers the United States Congress:

              To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.

      The first part of the copyright clause is about "progress of science and the useful arts," not making Houghton Mifflin or Steven King rich.

      You notice the word "limited" has pretty much been ignored, too.

      To answer your question, in the Framers of the Constitution's lifetimes.

    2. Re:Wot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ok....I'll give you that.

      What about the rest of the world?

    3. Re:Wot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The constitution specifically mentions "authors and inventors" so until we invent an immortality potion or AI's start creating the absolute most you could logically push for is 50 years (if someone invented/wrote something in their 20s they would get income off of it until roughly their death). Sadly that fact doesn't stop many nut jobs in courts & congress from trying to push the "forever minus one year" interpretation despite the plain and unmistakeable wording of the highest law of the land.

    4. Re:Wot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      TFS is about a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

    5. Re:Wot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe you might share with us which science and/or useful art Mr King's work embodies? And copyright certainly is specifically limited. You may not like those limits but they do exist.

    6. Re:Wot by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      You notice the word "limited" has pretty much been ignored, too.

      It hasn't been ignored, because they don't have perpetual copyright. Even a period of 500 years is still a "limited" time, as it is confined to a specific limit. Think of it more as definite rather than indefinite. The problem is that we have de facto indefinite copyright because that limit keeps getting extended whenever it gets close at the behest of certain parties(a big player of which also happens to dabble in the amusement park industry)

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    7. Re:Wot by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 1

      Like most of the ideas in the constitution, it has been expanded upon, "Useful arts" being any type of arts that would enrich the commons.

      However the rest of the clause has been "expanded" all to hell.

    8. Re:Wot by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 2

      I know this will enrage some of the Slashdot corporate toadies, but I don't think corporations should be allowed to own copyrights at all. They should be assigned to human beings and corporations should license them.

    9. Re:Wot by Holi · · Score: 1

      And via numerous trade agreements, the rest of the world.

      --
      Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
    10. Re:Wot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      No, the Supreme Court decision that directly involved the definition of 'limited' expressly distinguished between 'limited' and 'definite'. Forever minus a day is 'limited', but not definite. However, in common parlance, there is nothing 'limited' about something that lasts from before you are born to well after you die, and that's where we are with copyright at this point. (Which is also *part* of why there is so little respect for copyright among the general population. [1])

      [1] Lord Macaulay's speech on copyright extension, circa 1841
      http://homepages.law.asu.edu/~dkarjala/OpposingCopyrightExtension/commentary/MacaulaySpeeches.html

    11. Re:Wot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Founding Fathers thought 14 years was long enough, back at a time when publishing was slow and inefficient. It could take years for your work to travel the world. Now we think a century isn't long enough and you can get your work around the world in seconds.

    12. Re:Wot by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      > Maybe you might share with us which science and/or useful art Mr King's work embodies?

      History. Literature.

      > You may not like those limits but they do exist.

      No they don't. Those limits haven't effectively worked in your lifetime. Chances are they won't ever either. Disney will just keep on retroactively changing the expiration of 50+ year old copyrights.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    13. Re:Wot by taustin · · Score: 1

      That should be "in whose lifetime plus 75 years."

    14. Re:Wot by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 1

      the Supreme Court decision that directly involved the definition of 'limited' expressly distinguished between 'limited' and 'definite'.

      Cute. This is what happens when let lawyers write your laws, and don't make them define their terms. By any reasonable interpretation, "limited" and "definite" are in fact synonyms. The both mean "having a boundary". So, yes, "author's lifetime plus five hundred years" is technically both limited and definite.

      But they knew how to count higher than a hundred even back in the 18th century, so there would have been no reason to put the word "limited" in there unless it was meant to prevent unreasonably long copyright periods, like the ones we are now suffering under.

    15. Re:Wot by tnk1 · · Score: 1

      I think it is safe to say that the interpretation of the Constitution that is in effect now is well beyond what could be imagined in 1789. It's clear that they meant for it to be adaptable, but I suspect that many of the framers would have had a large issue with the way certain clauses like the Interstate Commerce clause have been used.

      It is an open question whether it is better to have used those loopholes or not. Clearly, this world does not resemble that of the 13 colonies.

      And so, in light of the interpretive mood of the courts, we can quite legitimately state that the word "limited" is not confined by what the framers intended or could imagine at the time, but rather it is only confined by the current definition of the word in it's most convenient form.

      Thus, "lifetime plus one billion years" is technically "limited", but almost certainly not what was intended.

      Also, you could read that line as meaning that the "exclusive right" is *how* the framers intended the "progress of science and useful arts" to be accomplished. Therefore, anything that accomplishes that limitation is, by definition, progressing science and arts. That means that the operative part is the creation of the copyrights and patents, and that the other verbiage is why they created it, but that reasoning does not trump the existence of copyright or patents as long as those are "limited" in some way.

      And no, I don't like my own interpretation, but I could see a judge writing it.

      Or something. This is why I am not a lawyer.

    16. Re:Wot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since so much "art" is created by corporations/studios/etc these days I don't know if that could ever fly. But limiting them to that which an actual human artist could collect needs to be enforced with extreme prejudice. The whole concept of "Intellectual Property" needs to be nuked from orbit, patents/copyright is intended to give the artists/inventors drive to create worthwhile works, not create one big hit and then sit on it for the rest of their, their childrens, and their childrens childrens lifetimes, or in the case of corporations their companies existence, the company that buys the "property" off of them, etc, etc. Its sad that the court pointing out this clear cut fact in this is the case is so shocking, I suppose its understandable though as so many court rulings fly in the face of the laws that grant them and the government in general their authority.

    17. Re:Wot by david_thornley · · Score: 2

      The problem is that copyright owners have a very strong interest in perpetual copyright, while each member of the public is only slightly harmed by perpetual copyright, so it's worth it for Disney to lobby hard for copyright extensions and not worth it for Joe Random to write his Congressional delegation.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    18. Re:Wot by swillden · · Score: 1

      And via numerous trade agreements, the rest of the world.

      Sure, but that has no bearing on the meaning of the ruling in the United States.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    19. Re:Wot by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      It requires the judicial branch to exercise it's powers by declaring the current copyright laws unconstitutional, which they could easily do. Something is not effectively limited if it's your lifespan, much less twice your lifespan. Limited, in terms of the original law's intent, was significantly less than an average lifespan. It should return to that time span.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    20. Re:Wot by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 2

      not making Houghton Mifflin or Steven King rich.

      Stephen King would make out just fine under a shorted copyright. Love him or hate him, that guy works for his living. He's the exact opposite of someone writing a single book then sitting back and waiting for their ship to come in.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    21. Re:Wot by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

      The US Constitution was written in the late 18th century, and at that time, 'science' meant knowledge (which a novel certainly would be part of), while 'useful arts' means applied science or technology. Strangely, the conventional meanings of science and art have more or less swapped places since then.

      A few instances of the earlier meaning of art survive, though. Patents deal with state of the art technology, but you can't get a patent if the invention has already been invented, as evidenced by looking at the prior art, or if you fail to disclose the patent in ways that a person having an ordinary skill in the art could understand.

      So Stephen King novels would just be science; not a useful art.

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
  7. For now by 0123456 · · Score: 2

    Won't 'fair use' vanish after Obamatrade is signed?

    1. Re:For now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why are you blaming Obama when that trade agreement was started long before he took office and it's Congress that makes and passes laws not the President. Go look up your state representatives' voting histories then blame yourself for voting for them. But no, it's way easier to blame one person who isn't really in charge of it. You think if we had a different president it would be different? I've got news for you: it wouldn't.

      Maybe if people actually assigned blame to those that deserve it something would start to change.

  8. Double feeling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I like that what google is officially is trying to achieve. It's great to access and search the content and eventually buy what I want.

    On the other hand, google is using not even an opt out policy (or barely using it). I've written something on the internet which I thought wasn't groundbreaking or even relevant but now when you search for it, there's a nice ad for something I actually wrote against.

    I can't stress enough the use of ad blockers.

  9. Re:Yay for piracy! by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 1

    No question that the internet is killing authors.

    Dammit. I did have a question about that. You're always one step ahead of me.

  10. "the primary intended beneficiary is the public" by wherrera · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is why the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement should never be ratified.

  11. Am I the only one... by LostMyBeaver · · Score: 1

    That tends to buy more books because of Google books? I can honestly say that because of Google books, I can find better what I'm looking for.

    Sadly, I'm far more freaked about how dependent I've become on Google for DNS, maps, books, translate, etc... than I ever was on Microsoft. I sometimes find myself trying intentionally to use Microsoft just to cut the cord.

    1. Re:Am I the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, everyone else is using Amazon, Apple or Nook. Google is a tiny player in the book space.
      http://authorearnings.com/report/october-2015-apple-bn-kobo-and-google-a-look-at-the-rest-of-the-ebook-market/

  12. Cool. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Now do something about that "Life plus 70 years" copyright term.

    1. Re:Cool. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now do something about that "Life plus 70 years" copyright term.

      From my end it seems easy what to do about it.
      Aren't you a voter?

      Right, you have a two party system with unlimited funds pouring in from "anonymous cowards" but not really.
      Make this illegal and have a system with more than more than two political parties.

    2. Re:Cool. by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      It would make more sense to let the copyright die with the original author... but in that case, I'd have a powerful incentive to kill my favorite writer so that I can get his books for free, wouldn't I?

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    3. Re:Cool. by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 1

      It would make more sense to let the copyright die with the original author... but in that case, I'd have a powerful incentive to kill my favorite writer so that I can get his books for free, wouldn't I?

      I see where you're coming from, but wouldn't it simply be better to violate copyright instead of killing them, so they can continue writing?

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
    4. Re:Cool. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Make this illegal

      Using the same system that's beholden to it?

    5. Re:Cool. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It would make more sense to let the copyright die with the original author... but in that case, I'd have a powerful incentive to kill my favorite writer so that I can get his books for free, wouldn't I?

      So you confess to murder.
      Or do you want to rephrase that?

    6. Re:Cool. by suutar · · Score: 1

      depends if you want more of them.

    7. Re:Cool. by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      Well, those ACs could just pour some of those funds into my pocket and I will fix all of the nation's ills...
      I promise.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    8. Re:Cool. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Using the same system that's beholden to it?

      Yes.
      But I never said it was easy.

    9. Re:Cool. by gnupun · · Score: 1

      Now do something about that "Life plus 70 years" copyright term.

      I have a solution for you. Simply visit a bookstore and pay them less than $50 for the book you want. No need to wait for life+70 years. Oh wait, you want knowledge/entertainment without paying a cent... never mind then.

    10. Re:Cool. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That or violence. You choose.

    11. Re:Cool. by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Also, a young writer would have a strong financial incentive to produce, while someone near death would have almost none. The old guy would probably be interested in the benefit to his heirs, but there wouldn't be time enough under copyright to get much.

      I really like the old idea of a fourteen-year copyright, renewable once. That wasn't too long, and meant you could look at the copyright page and know a book was public domain. Moreover, nobody's going to do some work now for the possible profit after thirty years, so it wouldn't be short enough to discourage people.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    12. Re:Cool. by J053 · · Score: 1

      Problem is, the Berne Convention sets copyright terms at life + 50 years - with member nations having the right to increase those terms. So, life+50 is about the minimum we're ever going to see, unless we want to throw out the Berne Convention. If we do that, of course, no other nation is obligated to recognize US copyrights.

      The Berne Convention also says copyright is vested upon creation of the work, with no registration required.

    13. Re:Cool. by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

      The US didn't join Berne until 1989, though, so obviously it isn't a big problem. The classic workaround is for the work to be simultaneously published in a Berne country (usually it was Canada) and then you still get other Berne countries protecting it.

      Of course, it'd be better for everyone to throw out Berne. There shouldn't be copyright treaties; each country should do what's best, but unilaterally offer national treatment to foreign authors (i.e. treat a foreign work like a domestic one) and try to informally avoid conflicts that would require an author to choose between copyrights in country A v. country B. The actual amount of protection, if any, should be a domestic issue, however.

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
  13. I think YOUR mindshake. by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 1

    On the one hand, I loathe the monster that copyright law has become, and I think that a searchable database of fulltext library books is a definite positive for society, contributing strongly to the original stated purpose of copyright, which is to advance and safeguard the people's collective knowledge.

    On the other hand, I really don't think this qualifies as fair use. It would be fine if the Library of Congress was doing the scanning, and retaining the copies. But Google is a company, not a government entity. If it's legal for them to do this, wouldn't it be legal for me to scan every book in the library myself, as long as I don't let anyone else access the copies?

    Wait, is that legal? Has it been legal this whole time?

    1. Re: I think YOUR mindshake. by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

      It is legal, and has been legal, but it depends greatly on the details, such as for what purpose you're copying. If you're copying them just to have your own copy without having had to buy one, it's likely not fair use. If you're providing a service like Google's, you are more likely to be acting legally.

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
    2. Re:I think YOUR mindshake. by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      If you can't use it to read the whole book by searching for a page at a time, it's fair use. Unfortunately, I don't the Google implements any absolute limits like that, they just make it extremely awkward and time consuming to use it to read an entire book.

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    3. Re:I think YOUR mindshake. by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 1

      Oh, and if it's legal for Google and me to do it, then it's legal for Google and me and another guy to do it, right? And if three parties can do it, four parties can, right? And if four parties can do it, everybody can, right?

      It'll be interesting to see where it goes from here. We should start a betting pool. I personally bet they'll cut us off at, like, seven guys.

    4. Re: I think YOUR mindshake. by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 1

      If you're copying them just to have your own copy without having had to buy one, it's likely not fair use. If you're providing a service like Google's, you are more likely to be acting legally.

      "More likely", huh? Well, that certainly sounds pretty unambiguous. One thousand lawyer points awarded.

      So okay, if I don't give people access to my stash, it's illegal, but if I make it searchable and provide snippets, it suddenly becomes legal? Great racket they've got going on there.

    5. Re:I think YOUR mindshake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think Google buys the book and then does the scan. It's basically operating it's own free library of parts of the books.
      That could easily be legal.

      If they scan the book from someone else's copy and keep the entire book to share without purchasing then it would likely not be legal.

      I think they are buying the books and not borrowing from the library. It would be an important legal distinction.

    6. Re:I think YOUR mindshake. by suutar · · Score: 1

      sure. Anyone who wants to set up a public search service is free to scan whatever material they need to populate it. Note that this is not the same as getting to read the whole book yourself; that is not a necessary step in running a search service.

    7. Re: I think YOUR mindshake. by tbannist · · Score: 1

      So okay, if I don't give people access to my stash, it's illegal, but if I make it searchable and provide snippets, it suddenly becomes legal? Great racket they've got going on there.

      That's not quite what he said. He said if you were copying them and didn't already own a copy and were copying them to avoid paying for them, then that would be a copyright violation. The unwritten part, was that if you are scanning books that you have purchased (or otherwise legally acquired a copy of), that is legal and has been legal this whole time.

      --
      Fanatically anti-fanatical
    8. Re:I think YOUR mindshake. by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      "Wait, is that legal? Has it been legal this whole time?"

      Yes, if you don't end up with more readable whole copies than what you started with.

      Copyright is a restriction on distributing copies, not making them. Fair use is about distributing a piece of a copy, and how big of a piece should be treated differently than the whole.

      So 1) if you bought a book, scanned it, and put the physical book on your shelf while you read the scanned copy, no problem. 2) If you got the book from the library, scanned it into a database where you can't get the full text back out, and took the book back to the library, no problem. 3) If you got the book from the library, scanned it, took the book back to the library, and then read the scanned copy later, you have distributed more copies than are acquired, so that is a copyright infringement.

      What Google wants to do is 2).

    9. Re:I think YOUR mindshake. by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      How many indexes do you think it is work making?

    10. Re:I think YOUR mindshake. by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 1

      2) If you got the book from the library, scanned it into a database where you can't get the full text back out, and took the book back to the library, no problem. 3) If you got the book from the library, scanned it, took the book back to the library, and then read the scanned copy later, you have distributed more copies than are acquired, so that is a copyright infringement.

      What Google wants to do is 2).

      Okay, but what if I really want to do 3 but claim to want to do 2, and provide a Google-Books-style searchable database as cover? How are you going to make sure I don't read the book later? How are you legally going to refuse to let me do it but still let Google do it?

      "Are you calling me a liar? I'll prove it! Go ahead, ask me anything you want about the Goblet of Fire... No, I don't know anything about that! See?"

    11. Re:I think YOUR mindshake. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are several limits to prevent scraping. On a given book, some pages cannot ever be viewed, and if you flip through enough it'll stop your ip from reading more. This came out years ago when the lawsuit first happened, but you can verify it yourself.

    12. Re: I think YOUR mindshake. by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

      "More likely", huh? Well, that certainly sounds pretty unambiguous. One thousand lawyer points awarded.

      Fair use has no bright line rules; it is entirely based on whether the use, given the circumstances, is fair. The best you can hope for from fair use are broad trends which can be used for rough guidance in evaluating new uses.

      Also, thank you for the lawyer points. I will add them to the one's I've been accumulating by selling cookies, and perhaps this year I'll finally get that BMX bike.

      So okay, if I don't give people access to my stash, it's illegal, but if I make it searchable and provide snippets, it suddenly becomes legal?

      Well, let's go through the four factor analysis used to help determine whether or not a use is fair. In doing so, remember first, that no factor is more or less important than any other, and second, that it is not a mathematical test, in which all the factors, or even most or half of the factors have to side with the use.

      1) What is the purpose or character of the use?

      That is, are you doing something new with the use, which the work didn't previously do, or are you using it in the same old way? If you copy a book merely in order to read the book, this is not favorable toward finding fair use. Google, OTOH, copied a book in order to create a searchable index of the book, and in fact, of as many books as it could get, as a research aid. Other uses that lean toward fair use are educational uses, news reporting, criticism, parody, etc. But it's not usually enough just to be one of those uses; there are examples of all of them that were not fair use.

      2) What is the nature of the work?

      Typically this is a fact / fiction dichotomy. Works of fact are more favorable toward fair use. It wound up not being very important in this case, although the court said that due to the particular transformational use involved (i.e. making an index), it favored fair use.

      3) How much of the work was used?

      This is often, wrongly, treated as meaning that the more of a work that is used, the less likely it is to be fair use. Actually what this prong of the test is about is whether the portion used needed to be used, or whether the use was excessive.

      4) What effect does the use have on the market for the work?

      Will the use act as a substitute for sales or licensing of the original? If you're making copies of books in order to avoid buying copies of the same books, then yes. Google managed to show that there was basically no market for what they were doing, and that it could not have negative effects on the markets that did exist for the books. (Whether it has positive effects is traditionally considered of no importance)

      So for your plan to copy a lot of library books and to share them with others, for the purpose of reading them for free, I predict it would not be fair use.

      Google OTOH isn't reading the books themselves, just creating indices of the text. And they aren't allowing people to access the database in such a way as to read entire copyrighted books without permission, just to find out whether a book contains a particular bit of text or not.

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
    13. Re:I think YOUR mindshake. by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

      Copyright is a restriction on distributing copies, not making them.

      Wrong. Copyright restricts both things, and some other things besides. 17 USC 106 lays out the core exclusive rights of copyright. The first is the right to make copies. The third is the right to distribute copies.

      Fair use is about distributing a piece of a copy, and how big of a piece should be treated differently than the whole.

      Wrong again. Fair use is a catch all exception; any sort of otherwise infringing activity may be a fair use, though not every actual such infringement will actually turn out to be a fair use. It applies to both the making and distribution of copies.

      Also, fair use can apply to copies of entire works, not just portions thereof. The thing to remember is that it is based entirely on the circumstances of the actual use in question.

      So 1) if you bought a book, scanned it, and put the physical book on your shelf while you read the scanned copy, no problem.

      That's probably a fair use, but otherwise would be infringing.

      2) If you got the book from the library, scanned it into a database where you can't get the full text back out, and took the book back to the library, no problem.

      That might be fair use, but it depends on some other factors, like why you're doing it, and again, otherwise would be infringing.

      3) If you got the book from the library, scanned it, took the book back to the library, and then read the scanned copy later, you have distributed more copies than are acquired, so that is a copyright infringement.

      You haven't distributed any copies in this scenario, other than by returning the book to the library, which is not going to be an infringement. The offense here is that you made a copy, and it probably won't be a fair use.

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
  14. How do you read Google Books? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Serious question.
    How do you read Google Books?
    Reading these books with Firefox seems an exercise in frustration.
    Is there some "reader" that can improve my experience?
    I suspect that few people actually read Google Books.
    Otherwise, Mr. Bezos might voice some strong objections.

    1. Re:How do you read Google Books? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Search books.google.com for the title you want. When you see the results, click the "Books" tab to limit the results to just books. Then click the "Search Tools" and pull down the "Any books" menu and change it to "Google eBooks" or "Free Google eBooks." You should be able to click on the book and read it in your browser window.

    2. Re:How do you read Google Books? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks for the reply. I learned a few things.
      While stepping thru the steps that you outlined, I stumbled
      upon the menu that allows downloading as PDF.
      That helps sidestep the Google UI, which is the crux of my complaint.
      Now if I could just sidestep the UI for Gmail!

    3. Re:How do you read Google Books? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you tried Thunderbird?

  15. Finaly some understanding by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How exactly does extending copyright by 70 years past the authors death achieve "[t]heSo ultimate goal of copyright is to expand public knowledge and understanding."

    Video, Source Code, and Books are all copyrighted. My opinion is that it should go exactly the opposite copyright period should be shortened not lengthened. The reason copyright was introduce is because of the discontent between reproducing a working and creating a work so an author can get a fair return on creating a work.

    But exactly how is it fair for an author to benefit by receiving more than a 100x the initial cost as benefit. If an author do not receive a fair return on his investment within 2 years of releasing a work lets be honest he is not going to earn it in the rest of his live and the 70 years after his death.

    Make it 5 years still the same argument.

    1. Re:Finaly some understanding by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't really mind copyright owners holding on to their copyright as long as they're selling the work. My concern is the lock on abandonware.

      IMHO the law should be changed so that if you haven't sold the work in more than 12 years, it's public domain. No renewal allowed. And you can't just sell 1 copy to a friend to hold onto your rights, you have to make it available to the public at large.

  16. Huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How does allowing google to scan and display the books for their own financial gain. If it were the LoC maintaining the database then I could agree but it's not, and it is not for the enrichment of mankind it is for the enrichment of Googles stock.

    1. Re:Huh by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      > not for the enrichment of mankind it is for the enrichment of Googles stock.

      That's the beauty of capitalism. It's acknowledged that the two are one and the same and that people are greedy bastards that won't do things for free.

      You just have to have some balance.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    2. Re:Huh by radarskiy · · Score: 2

      "How does allowing google to scan and display the books for their own financial gain."

      They are not displaying the books scanned by this work. They are indexing them.

    3. Re:Huh by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

      By that token, how does giving copyrights to authors for their financial gain enrich mankind?

      You seem to want to exclusively enrich mankind, and not any particular subset of that. There's no reason that it has to work that way.

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
  17. Re:Yay for piracy! by Coren22 · · Score: 1

    It must be that a bunch of authors have started hanging themselves with Cat5, as I cannot see any way that a global network of computers could kill an author...

    --
    APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  18. Re:"the primary intended beneficiary is the public by Coren22 · · Score: 1

    Do any non politicians even know what the TPP says?

    --
    APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  19. Re:Yay for piracy! by tbannist · · Score: 1

    He must talking about Skynet. It's going after the authors first!

    --
    Fanatically anti-fanatical
  20. The dead hand. by westlake · · Score: 1

    You notice the word "limited" has pretty much been ignored, too.

    The founders were not micro-managers.

    The limits of copyright were meant to be defined by legislation.

    The average length of a state constitution is 26,000 words (compared to about 8,700 words for the U.S. constitution). The longest state governing document is that of Alabama, which has over 172,000 words. That document is also the most amended state constitution in the Union, with over 770 amendments. The average state constitution has been amended about 115 times. The oldest state constitution still in effect is that of Massachusetts, which took effect in 1780. The newest is the Georgia Constitution, which was ratified in 1983.

    Georgia has had nine constitutions. Massachusetts one.

    State constitution

    The success of the framers of the U.S. Constitution in writing a document geared to serving the varied and changing needs of Americans has been complemented by an ability on the part of successive Congresses and courts to readapt it to these changing demands. The Constitution's 27 amendments, added over a period of 200 years, have in most cases plugged minor loopholes rather than changed the focus or the general structure of the document. As Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt stated in his first inaugural address on March 4, 1933, ''Our Constitution is so simple and practical that it is possible always to meet extraordinary needs by changes in emphasis and arrangement without loss of essential form. That is why our constitutional system has proved itself the most superbly enduring political mechanism the modern world has produced.'' Constitution of the United States

  21. Borrow and scan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think Google buys the book and then does the scan.

    No, they borrow them from a library and scan them:

    Google developed agreements with major libraries to start the project. The New York Public Library, as well as university libraries at Harvard, Michigan and Stanford, all agreed to let Google scan their volumes.

    http://computer.howstuffworks....

    1. Re:Borrow and scan by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      The important detail is that Google is not making readable copies of the books, they are making an index.

  22. Re:Yay for piracy! by Coren22 · · Score: 1

    It would make sense, the authors are the ones that warn of our impending subjugation by the AI overlords.

    --
    APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  23. Re:"the primary intended beneficiary is the public by radarskiy · · Score: 1

    Do any politicians even know what the TPP says?

  24. Re:"the primary intended beneficiary is the public by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just the trade representatives & their lawyers.
    Congress voted to abdicate their responsibilities via fast track.

  25. Re:"the primary intended beneficiary is the public by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    "Do any non politicians even know what the TPP says?"

    They know what it is for

    First, science on reasoning... our brain is really bad at reasoning and reality generally:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmi0DLzBdQ

    They are getting concerned, that's why the NSA and the TPP are trying to lock down everything, they are trying to strip us of our rights and control us and the information channels we communicate on because they are at their weakest.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4usbR_kKCDs

    They are getting rid of state sovereignty with trade agreements and basically constructing kangaroo courts for the corporate world.

    Wikileaks

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABDiHspTJww&feature=youtu.be

    They also are using it to try to lockdown the internet because they fear us politically waking up...

    The (mass surveillance) by the NSA/others and abuse by law enforcement is just more part and parcel of state suppression of dissent against corporate interests. They're worried that the more people are going to wake up and corporate centers like the US and canada may be among those who also awaken. See this vid with Zbigniew Brzezinski, former United States National Security Advisor.

    https://youtu.be/Ttv6n7PFniY?t=10

    Brezinski at a press conference

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kmUS--QCYY

    States experiencing serious systemic "handicaps":

    https://youtu.be/0kmUS--QCYY?t=246

    Major powers, and imposing control over the awakened masses.

    https://youtu.be/4usbR_kKCDs?t=397

    The real news:

    http://therealnews.com/t2/

    http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Incorporated-Managed-Inverted-Totalitarianism/dp/069114589X

    http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Government-Surveillance-Security-Single-Superpower/dp/1608463656/

    http://www.amazon.com/National-Security-Government-Michael-Glennon/dp/0190206446/

    US distribution of wealth

    https://imgur.com/a/FShfb

    http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html

    Protectionism for the rich and big business by state intervention, radical market interference.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHj2GaPuEhY#t=349

    Manufacturing consent:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwU56Rv0OXM

    https://vimeo.com/39566117

      Crisis of democracy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYFxtNgOeiI

  26. Maybe too simple, but good line of thought by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 1

    I don't think corporations should be allowed to own copyrights at all. They should be assigned to human beings and corporations should license them.

    I don't know if I'd go that far. If nothing else, many works are created as a result of the work of many individuals co-ordinating as part of or on behalf of an organisation, and the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. The overheads of not allowing any collective ownership of rights in creative works, and thus having to negotiate individually with everyone involved having an ability to unilaterally roadblock/veto new deals, would surely be prohibitive. Ultimately the idea is to incentivise creators to share their work and so promote distribution and enjoyment all round, and the easier it is to reach mutually beneficial deals the better that is going to work.

    Now, if you were to adapt that argument a little to say that anyone other than the original creator of a work could hold only a temporary licence -- for example, if distributors such as record labels and book publishers could only hold the rights to a song or book for a couple of years without renewing -- then we might be getting somewhere, because those organisations would suddenly have to actually produce good returns for their sources in a competitive environment or risk losing their margin on a good work when the next deal went to someone else.

    In terms of the collective ownership, I also wouldn't be averse to some sort of scheme where the rights were administered centrally, like some sort of trust, but all of the original contributors retained acknowledgement and a share of any future benefits or royalties. Just have everyone's contract include both an assignment of their rights to the collective trust and a clear statement of any agreed terms (e.g., this contributor will receive x% of any future royalties or other financial benefits, or this contribution is made on the basis that the work as a whole will be available under some open licence).

    --
    If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
  27. Re:"the primary intended beneficiary is the public by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    I don't believe they're trying to ratify it, which would take 2/3 of the Senate. I think the idea is to essentially pass it as a law, which is slightly less bad, as Congress could change it without the need for diplomacy.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  28. Apple h8rs by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

    How come google books wins all the time but apple books lost in court? Anti-apple bias in the judicial system?

    1. Re:Apple h8rs by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 1

      No, they're just two completely different issues.

      Google Books has been involved in copyright disputes against some authors.

      Apple Books has been involved in antitrust disputes against the federal government.

      The only thing in common are that they both involve lawsuits, and the word 'books.'

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
    2. Re:Apple h8rs by Noah+Haders · · Score: 0

      this is a very good point. everybody was apple with apple books - authors, publishers, readers. it was in everybody's self interest. but the govt felt that there was an area that was not sufficiently regulated (liberal attitude) so they wade in and shut it down.

    3. Re:Apple h8rs by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 2

      everybody was apple with apple books - authors, publishers, readers. it was in everybody's self interest. but the govt felt that there was an area that was not sufficiently regulated (liberal attitude) so they wade in and shut it down.

      No, you're wrong.

      Apple and the major book publishers were trying to rig the market for ebooks so as to 1) increase profits for publishers, and 2) decrease Apple's competition for tablet-format book-reading hardware (Kindles, iPads, etc.). The way they were trying to accomplish this was by raising prices for buyers of e-books.

      So it's bad for readers in that it costs them more money to buy books, and it's bad for readers because it reduces competition for the reading hardware. It was also, ironically, bad for the major publishers, who wound up selling fewer books, while minor publishers that didn't participate in the conspiracy wound up benefiting from increased book sales.

      It could not have been a more blatant price-fixing scandal, and it was rightfully shut down. And the fact that every publisher gave up and settled with the government, while Apple lost in court at every turn, should probably be good indicators of that.

      Meanwhile, your comment about the government is wrong too; the ebooks market is no more or less regulated than it ever was. All businesses are prohibited from working together to fix prices. The law requires that they not do so, forcing them to compete, which tends to produce benefits for the public, such as driving down prices and encouraging the development of new technologies and markets as each business seeks some fair advantage over its rivals.

      Now, it is arguable that Amazon is having negative effects on the market too. But conservatives -- starting in the Reagan administration, IIRC -- reduced the enforcement of antitrust law in ways that might have limited Amazon's dealings with publishers, focusing instead almost entirely on whether customers were being overcharged or not. The current administration has taken a decidedly conservative position on antitrust law, which is unsurprising (Obama is more conservative than Reagan was), and instead only tries to keep prices low, as they did by going after Apple.

      I enjoy a fair bit of Apple's stuff, but I've got to say, you seem to just be as dumb as a sack of hammers, and very badly informed about both law and politics.

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
    4. Re:Apple h8rs by Noah+Haders · · Score: 0

      > The law requires that they not do so, forcing them to compete

      the definition of government is monopoly over force. think about that.

    5. Re:Apple h8rs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > the definition of government is monopoly over force. think about that.

      I thought about it for two seconds, and realized that's incorrect.

  29. Re:"the primary intended beneficiary is the public by vlad30 · · Score: 1

    Do any politicians even know what the TPP says?

    Translated and summarised

    Bend over and take it like a prison bitch unless your really rich in which case you get your choice of prison bitch

    --
    Your'e all thinking it, I just said it for you
  30. Tell that to the people writing the TPP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    TPP will probably overturn this.

  31. Re:"the primary intended beneficiary is the public by vandamme · · Score: 1

    They have to pass it to see what's in it.

  32. Re:"the primary intended beneficiary is the public by vandamme · · Score: 1

    O'Bama will do it as a Royal Proclam.... errrr, Executive Order.

  33. Re:"the primary intended beneficiary is the public by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    Obama can order the Executive Branch mostly as he pleases, but he can't make new law.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes