megalomania
January 29th, 2006, 06:28 PM
The Google Books project has sent many publishing companies into an uproar. They say Google threatens to steal away all their books, and their precious profits with it. Earlier in 2005 the Association of American University Presses issued a strongly worded letter to Google expressing their concerns. The AAUP represents over 125 different university publishers of academic textbooks.
The letter asks Google a series of questions regarding its claim to �fair use� in making library books available online. They want more information on Google�s claim that once digitised then the copyright of the work rests with Google. They also wants to know how long a �snippet� is and how Google intends to protect copies against misuse. The letter ends: �Google Print for Libraries has wonderful potential, but that potential can only be realized if the program itself respects the rights of copyright owners and the underlying purpose of copyright law.�
I find it curious why the AAUP would be upset over Google doing this. On their very own webpage there motto states they are �an organization of non-profit scholarly publishers� dedicated to the support of creative and effective scholarly communication.�
Why would a NON-PROFIT company, by its very designation a company that makes no money on the sale of its books, be worried about its materials reaching a wider audience? Google Books sounds like effective scholarly communication to me.
This brings us all back to greed. Publishers write nothing, they produce nothing, they exist to take advantage of the lofty ideals of writers and professors by taking their hard work and giving almost nothing in return.
I say it is everyone�s duty under the supreme laws of nature and justice that all academic books be copyraped and disseminated to the masses. The days of the greedy malevolent publisher are coming to an end. They have overreached the intent of copyright law and have gone too far. Copyright is no longer about protecting the intellectual rights of the author, it is about ensuring a continual revenue stream for publishers and large corporations only. The only way the majority of the people in the 21st century will be able to read much of what is published will be to violate copyright law. Information is becoming restricted and hoarded by the big corporations because they understand its value as a resource. Information is not a commodity to be traded and bartered for like grain. Information is enduring and abstract, so there is enough for everyone.
The letter asks Google a series of questions regarding its claim to �fair use� in making library books available online. They want more information on Google�s claim that once digitised then the copyright of the work rests with Google. They also wants to know how long a �snippet� is and how Google intends to protect copies against misuse. The letter ends: �Google Print for Libraries has wonderful potential, but that potential can only be realized if the program itself respects the rights of copyright owners and the underlying purpose of copyright law.�
I find it curious why the AAUP would be upset over Google doing this. On their very own webpage there motto states they are �an organization of non-profit scholarly publishers� dedicated to the support of creative and effective scholarly communication.�
Why would a NON-PROFIT company, by its very designation a company that makes no money on the sale of its books, be worried about its materials reaching a wider audience? Google Books sounds like effective scholarly communication to me.
This brings us all back to greed. Publishers write nothing, they produce nothing, they exist to take advantage of the lofty ideals of writers and professors by taking their hard work and giving almost nothing in return.
I say it is everyone�s duty under the supreme laws of nature and justice that all academic books be copyraped and disseminated to the masses. The days of the greedy malevolent publisher are coming to an end. They have overreached the intent of copyright law and have gone too far. Copyright is no longer about protecting the intellectual rights of the author, it is about ensuring a continual revenue stream for publishers and large corporations only. The only way the majority of the people in the 21st century will be able to read much of what is published will be to violate copyright law. Information is becoming restricted and hoarded by the big corporations because they understand its value as a resource. Information is not a commodity to be traded and bartered for like grain. Information is enduring and abstract, so there is enough for everyone.