Google Books Update
It’s been a month since the Google Books settlement was rejected, as reported to Slaw here, and a number of themes have emerged in the online discussuion.
Some of the most cogent comments come from Robert Danton, Harvard’s University Librarian, an opponent of the settlement: Six Reasons Google Books Failed (New York Review of Books).
Perhaps the most balanced and detailed guide to the decision itself comes from the Association of Research Libraries:
Here are some strong discussions of the fallout and next steps in the case.
- Book Ruling Cuts Options for Google (NY Times)
- The Next Chapter in the Google Books Saga (The Atlantic)
- Future of Google digital library is hard to read (Vancouver Sun)
- What The Collapse Of The Google Books Deal Really Means (Paid Content.org)
On the central issue of the prospect of a monopoly:
- Federal Judge Rejectd Google Book Monopoly (Ars Technica)
- Decision rejecting digital book settlement represents ‘microcosm’ of challenges facing Google(AP)
On the very important question of the handling of orphaned works (those presumably protected by copyright, but practically not licenseable):
- Copyright Dogma and the Denied Google Books Settlement (Ariel Katz)
- Google’s ‘Orphaned Books’ Litigation; Effect on Digital Sales (Practical eCommerce). This one has interesting lawerly commentary from US IP Lawyer Ed Green, and is also available as a podcast.
- Google Books Settlement Overturned: Now What? (Legal Talk Network) This is a conversation between Attorney and co-host J. Craig Williams, George H. Pike, Director of the Barco Law Library and Professor of Law and Attorney Lois F. Wasoff General Counsel for Publishers International Linking Association. Also available as a podcast.
And on some other important issues:
- Google Books Decision: “The Privacy Concerns are Real” (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
- What the Google Books Decision Said About Fair Use (ARL Policy Notes)
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