Comments on: Google Book Search settlement in Japan – isn’t so simple http://www.teleread.com/copy-right/google-book-search-settlement-in-japan-isnt-so-simple/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:05:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Rob Preece, Publisher http://www.teleread.com/copy-right/google-book-search-settlement-in-japan-isnt-so-simple/comment-page-1/#comment-1109285 Rob Preece, Publisher Thu, 23 Jul 2009 01:32:42 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/?p=25705#comment-1109285 I'm not so sure things are different here in the US, just Google seems willing to roll over people. In the US, authors, not publishers, hold copyright. (The exception is in work-for-hire cases such as science fiction franchises, etc.). Google scanning in copyright but out of print books is arguably a copyright violation here as well. Certainly their selling scanned books without copyright-holder permission is a violation. A big part of the problem, in the US as in Japan, is that it's difficult for anyone but a publisher to determine if a book is in print or out of print. With POD, and eBooks, it becomes even more difficult. I am conflicted on Google scanning, but I don't think differences in laws are at the basis of the problem. Rob Preece Publisher I’m not so sure things are different here in the US, just Google seems willing to roll over people. In the US, authors, not publishers, hold copyright. (The exception is in work-for-hire cases such as science fiction franchises, etc.). Google scanning in copyright but out of print books is arguably a copyright violation here as well. Certainly their selling scanned books without copyright-holder permission is a violation. A big part of the problem, in the US as in Japan, is that it’s difficult for anyone but a publisher to determine if a book is in print or out of print. With POD, and eBooks, it becomes even more difficult.

I am conflicted on Google scanning, but I don’t think differences in laws are at the basis of the problem.

Rob Preece
Publisher

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