04 September 2009
As the deadline for authors to opt out of the $125 million settlement between Google and the Association of American Publishers passed on Friday, the war over the proposed plans to create a vast online library of digitised continued to grow.
The settlement would see the author and publisher receive 70 per cent of any sale with Google receiving the remaining 30 per cent. Google would also be given the right to digitise orphan works - works whose right-holders are unknown.
Amazon, which competes with Google by also scanning books to sell, lodged a 41-page document with a US federal court in New York citing the agreement as "dangerous" and called the current situation a potential "cartel structure that leaves the public susceptible to abuses". Not one to take things lying down, Google lined up a number of professors, students and civil rights activists who support the settlement.
The United States Student Association showed their support for the deal with the Association president Gregory Cedana telling the BBC "With Google books, any student anywhere in the U.S. will have the books in the greatest libraries of the world at their finger tips." However the Open Book Alliance led by Internet Archive, which also has its own book scanning project are very vocal on the situation. Also speaking to the BBC, Peter Brantley of the Alliance said: "a digital library controlled by a single company and small group of publishers would inevitably lead to higher prices and subpar services."
Google believes the settlement represents an exclusive deal and does not contravene any competition law. They believe much of the opposition to the settlement is merely from jealous competitors. Google spokesman Gabriel Stricker told the Guardian: "The Google books settlement is injecting more competition into the digital books space, so it's understandable why our competitors might fight hard to prevent more competition."
With the next chapter of this page turner starting on Tuesday, the day bookmarked as the last that comments on the case will be accepted by the New York court, continued opposition to the deal is maintained with the German Government filling its own objection during the week.
The settlement is also being examined by the Department of Justice and a final court hearing is planned for October 7. Google will then find out if its plans for a "super" library will prevail or if the Open Book alliance, which includes Microsoft, Yahoo! and Amazon and many other protesters to the settlement, can slam the book shut on the move.
Google Books deal enters new chapter
As the deadline for authors to opt out of the $125 million settlement between Google and the Association of American Publishers passed on Friday, the war over the proposed plans to create a vast online library of digitised continued to grow. The settlement would see the author and publisher receive 70 per cent of any sale with Google receiving the remaining 30 per cent. Google would also be given the right to digitise orphan works - works whose right-holders are unknown.
Amazon, which competes with Google by also scanning books to sell, lodged a 41-page document with a US federal court in New York citing the agreement as "dangerous" and called the current situation a potential "cartel structure that leaves the public susceptible to abuses". Not one to take things lying down, Google lined up a number of professors, students and civil rights activists who support the settlement.
The United States Student Association showed their support for the deal with the Association president Gregory Cedana telling the BBC "With Google books, any student anywhere in the U.S. will have the books in the greatest libraries of the world at their finger tips." However the Open Book Alliance led by Internet Archive, which also has its own book scanning project are very vocal on the situation. Also speaking to the BBC, Peter Brantley of the Alliance said: "a digital library controlled by a single company and small group of publishers would inevitably lead to higher prices and subpar services."
Google believes the settlement represents an exclusive deal and does not contravene any competition law. They believe much of the opposition to the settlement is merely from jealous competitors. Google spokesman Gabriel Stricker told the Guardian: "The Google books settlement is injecting more competition into the digital books space, so it's understandable why our competitors might fight hard to prevent more competition."
With the next chapter of this page turner starting on Tuesday, the day bookmarked as the last that comments on the case will be accepted by the New York court, continued opposition to the deal is maintained with the German Government filling its own objection during the week.
The settlement is also being examined by the Department of Justice and a final court hearing is planned for October 7. Google will then find out if its plans for a "super" library will prevail or if the Open Book alliance, which includes Microsoft, Yahoo! and Amazon and many other protesters to the settlement, can slam the book shut on the move.
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