networkworld.com — In a big blow to Google's efforts to build a massive digital-books marketplace and library, the U.S. Department of Justice has unequivocally rejected the revised agreement forged by Google and publishers that was intended to settle copyright lawsuits.
Feb 5, 2010 View in Crawl 4
islandbaygardenFeb 5, 2010
I hope Google is wishing they'd stuck to their fair use guns. Google had a really strong fair use case. If Google had chosen to fight that Google Books was a fair use and thus an exception to USA copyright law, those collectives representing rights holders would have to taken Google to court to prove otherwise. If the courts had agreed with Google on fair use then this copyright exception would apply to any company/person in the US. Google already has a significant advantage over competition due to the huge amounts of scans they have. Do they really need the advantage of a deal with the collectives as well?
taaybFeb 5, 2010
Who the hell gave the Author's Guild and the AAP the right to speak for the entire industry? I understand there is a need and a desire to have out of print books available but this certainly isn't the way to do it. It puts way too much power into a single entity, Google.
mxm111Feb 5, 2010
Hence, he talks only about Google. If government pisses of Microsoft, then it would be bought by Microsoft, so what is your point exactly?
mxm111Feb 5, 2010
It is finny thing how people here on digg are OK to give a single company monopoly powers, as long as it is google. WAKE UP DIGG! NO COMPANY SHOULD BE A MONOPOLY! Even as good as google, because it is good today, but who knows about tomorrow...
eleeteFeb 5, 2010
Doesn't copyright and IP Law grant Monopolies for "limited" times ? Like 120 years or so (in the case of copyright) or more ?
johnnysoftwareFeb 6, 2010
Well, look at RIAA and MPAA. They have basically spoken for their content creators for decades, and decide who gets paid what and has to pay what. Consider the blank recording tape consumer fees.
zenmojoFeb 6, 2010
Your book? No. Pay for it.That's right, Google, I'm talking to you.