Scanning News Articles from Pearl Scan Solutions
Google mass book scanning debate continues
Date: 28/05/2009
Further controversy is arising over Google’s plan to scan and digitise millions of books. More publishers were invited by SharedBook this week to voice their opinions on the mass book scanning and archiving project which Google have underway.
"Until now, discussions on the Google Book Settlement have been taking place across fragmented forums," wrote SharedBook chief executive Caroline Vanderlip. The idea is to get as many scholars, business people, journalists and more together to give their mass opinions on the ongoing debate of whether Google should be allowed to go ahead with the scanning project which will create the world’s largest digital library and online bookstore.
The online forum is intended as a main point for discussion about the settlement before the October 7 "fairness hearing" to be held in a US federal court which will decide whether the deal is acceptable. Google's settlement with US authors and publishers over its book scanning project still needs the go-ahead from a US judge but it may first have to pass through the US Justice Department.
Accusing Google of copyright infringement, the Authors Guild and AAP filed a class action lawsuit against them in 2005 over the scanning of millions of books through its Google Book Search service which the justice department is now examining.
In that settlement, Google agreed to establish an independent "Book Rights Registry" which will give revenue from sales and advertising to authors and publishers who agree to have their books digitised.
One of the biggest concerns of opponents of the settlement, however, are the millions of so-called "orphan" books, out-of-print works whose copyright holder can’t be found. Opponents of the settlement have argued that it gives Google a license to scan, sell and profit from "orphan" books.
US District Court Judge Denny Chin has set a September 4 deadline for authors and publishers to decide whether they want to be included in the settlement.
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