This was posted today on PWDaily (Publishers Weekly Daily):
Friday, November 18,
2005
Publishers, Google Battle over Books
The debate between publishers and authors and Google and its
allies held last night at the New York Public Library was heated,
sometimes contentious and mostly civil, and even produced a point on
which all sides agreed--that they are miles apart on what they view as
fair use in the 21st century.
Stanford professor Lawrence Lessig argued before a packed house
that if the publishers and authors win their lawsuit against Google's
Print for Library program (now renamed Google Book Search, see
accompanying story) they would gain total control over content that
would stifle future innovation and development. The definition of fair
use needs to be expanded in the digital age, Lessig argued.
AAP's Allan Adler said if Google's theory of fair use was
adopted, it would put Google in control of other people's content that
it downloaded onto its own databases. While Google says it will use
the scanned book content in a limited way, that could all change,
Adler said.
Google V-P of corporate development David Drummond said Google
Book Search was designed with fair use in mind and not to harm
publishers. If the company ever goes beyond the bounds of fair use,
other copyright protections would kick in, Drummond said, to which
Adler quickly responded "that's why we went to court."
Lessig added a slight twist to the debate when he said he was
worried Google would settle with the authors and publishers, thereby
creating a system that would prevent smaller companies from creating
new products. Judging from last night's discussion, a settlement is
far away.
--Jim Milliot
--
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Leigh Gates, Visual Resources Librarian
MacLean Visual Resource Center, Ryerson Library
The Art Institute of Chicago
37 S. Wabash, Chicago IL 60603
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tel: 312/899-1223 fax: 312/263-0141