Keith Regan, Publishers Raise Concerns About Google Print Project, E-Commerce Times, June 23, 2005. Excerpt: 'Google has agreed to meet with representatives of the publishing industry to hear their concerns, but is apparently moving forward with the Google Print project in the meantime....The most recent flare-ups come after a self-proclaimed Google watchdog group posted details of the search giant's contract with the University of Michigan library....The part of that contract that most caught publishers' eyes was a provision for Google to make two digital copies of all materials. That has apparently sparked concern that in addition to the free, library-like offering, Google might be planning commercial uses of the books, some of which are protected still by copyright....Publishers have long had an uneasy relationship with the Web. Supposed threats from e-books and other digitized formats have not materialized, and the Internet has become a favorite venue for book buying for many consumers. Meanwhile, analysts say Google is likely to tread lightly with the publishing industry to avoid a lengthy, costly and politically messy battle. Publishers are a key constituency of Google's, representing potential advertisers and potential merchants for its e-commerce efforts, such as its Froogle comparison-shopping site. Still, bringing book pages online is seen as critical to Google's efforts to boost the amount of real estate available for placing ads online. "Google Print got them a huge amount of positive publicity and really cemented their reputation as the most ambitious of the search companies," Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li told the E-Commerce Times. If Google does back down or strike a compromise, it will likely find a way to do so that doesn't stall the overall library project, such as focusing first on works not subject to copyright protection. Google has insisted, and says that the contract clearly spells out, that copyrighted works will be protected and available only in indexed, searchable form. That is, excerpts will turn up in search results and users will then be able to find where to buy or borrow a copy.'
Posted by
Peter Suber at 6/23/2005 12:44:00 PM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
