Welcome to the "Foggy Zone"...Google Books
No one can argue that Google is HUGE! As of February 2018, its net worth is $120.9 billion, with a "B". It's number three on the list of most valuable brands in the world. One of its projects, Google Books, has taken some legal heat in the last decade and a half over copyright infringement. After an appeal by the Authors Guild (plaintiff) was denied, Google was allowed to continue digitizing millions of books. There is still plenty of discord over the final decision, but it's a moot point. If you have a google account, you will be able to find a book on just about any subject you can think of.
I can understand why authors and publishers would want to maintain control over their books. It comes back to money and diminished returns. Why buy something if you can get it for free? In reality, Google is increasing the "discovery value" of each and every book it scans. Publishers have to grant permission in order to provide full text online, which rarely happens. Instead, snippets of text are made available as previews. I see this more like standing in a bookstore scanning book jackets to see if I would be interested in the book. It wasn't that long ago that this was the preferred method of browsing.
Many of the books that have been scanned are out of print and available no where else. Some books are considered public domain, meaning the exclusive intellectual property rights have expired. One key challenge is how to handle orphaned works, those whose rightsholders can't be located. Currently, there is no easy answer. Google has merely created a digital card catalog that assists users in finding what they need.
For years, libraries have resisted digitizing items in their collections for fear of violating copyright laws. Perhaps with the ruling in Googles favor, libraries will feel more confident in their pursuit of digitization. Preview controls can be put in place to insure "fair use" of intellectual property while still making books available online to the public.
Whether you agree with the court's ruling or not, it's becoming very apparent we cannot go back to a world without the web. We've become so connected that we demand instantaneous access to whatever we search for. Google is attempting to remain true to its mission of indexing the world's knowledge. Like fog lifting to reveal a sunny day, the answer to the question of who has the right to access intellectual works is pretty clear. We all do.
Cited works:
Hannay, William M. “Legally Speaking -- Google Books: It Ain't Over' Til the Librarian Sings.” Against the Grain, vol. 27, no. 6, Dec. 2015, pp. 49–51. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA), EBSCOhost, login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=112301695&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 23 Apr. 2018.
Christou, Corilee. “Authors Guild v. Google.” Information Today, vol. 33, no. 6, July 2016, pp. 1–25. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA), EBSCOhost, login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=116878873&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 23 Apr. 2018.
Tyler, J. (2018). The 10 most valuable brands in the world. Business Insider. Retrieved 23 April 2018, from http://www.businessinsider.com/most-valuable-brands-in-the-world-for-2018-brand-finance-2018-2
I can understand why authors and publishers would want to maintain control over their books. It comes back to money and diminished returns. Why buy something if you can get it for free? In reality, Google is increasing the "discovery value" of each and every book it scans. Publishers have to grant permission in order to provide full text online, which rarely happens. Instead, snippets of text are made available as previews. I see this more like standing in a bookstore scanning book jackets to see if I would be interested in the book. It wasn't that long ago that this was the preferred method of browsing.
Many of the books that have been scanned are out of print and available no where else. Some books are considered public domain, meaning the exclusive intellectual property rights have expired. One key challenge is how to handle orphaned works, those whose rightsholders can't be located. Currently, there is no easy answer. Google has merely created a digital card catalog that assists users in finding what they need.
For years, libraries have resisted digitizing items in their collections for fear of violating copyright laws. Perhaps with the ruling in Googles favor, libraries will feel more confident in their pursuit of digitization. Preview controls can be put in place to insure "fair use" of intellectual property while still making books available online to the public.
Whether you agree with the court's ruling or not, it's becoming very apparent we cannot go back to a world without the web. We've become so connected that we demand instantaneous access to whatever we search for. Google is attempting to remain true to its mission of indexing the world's knowledge. Like fog lifting to reveal a sunny day, the answer to the question of who has the right to access intellectual works is pretty clear. We all do.
A Basic How-To for Google Books
Cited works:
Hannay, William M. “Legally Speaking -- Google Books: It Ain't Over' Til the Librarian Sings.” Against the Grain, vol. 27, no. 6, Dec. 2015, pp. 49–51. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA), EBSCOhost, login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=112301695&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 23 Apr. 2018.
Christou, Corilee. “Authors Guild v. Google.” Information Today, vol. 33, no. 6, July 2016, pp. 1–25. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA), EBSCOhost, login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=116878873&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 23 Apr. 2018.
Tyler, J. (2018). The 10 most valuable brands in the world. Business Insider. Retrieved 23 April 2018, from http://www.businessinsider.com/most-valuable-brands-in-the-world-for-2018-brand-finance-2018-2
Great post Kelly! Very balanced portrayal of all the different viewpoints. I also loved the picture you chose!
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