I may disagree with the idea that government is more to blame than corporations, but I'm quite certain that I think its silly to equate corporate stockholders with the general public. What percentage of the general public (let's say adult citizens) hold stock in any company? What percentage hold voting shares? And what about privately held corporations?
Remember that corporations are beholden to the few, not the many. Government may not work well, but American government (at least in theory) is answerable to all its citizens.
I suspect that these will not be considered in the same category as published books. Instead, they are an information service. Think Lexus/Nexus, or maybe even slashdot. The electronic format, taken in conjunction with their annual updates, may be enough to keep it out of the Library of Congress.
Methinks it bodes poorly for all sorts of academic traditions.
Slashdot Mirror
Remember that corporations are beholden to the few, not the many. Government may not work well, but American government (at least in theory) is answerable to all its citizens.
Methinks it bodes poorly for all sorts of academic traditions.