Comments on: Google backs out of NewsHour Google Books debate http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/google-backs-out-of-newshour-google-books-debate/ 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: Mike Perry http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/google-backs-out-of-newshour-google-books-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-1149241 Mike Perry Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:22:48 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/11/17/google-backs-out-of-newshour-google-books-debate/#comment-1149241 This isn't surprising. There have been a number of 'informational' public meetings with Google participation, but all that I'm aware of were relatively one-sided. No one with serious objections to the settlement was invited to speak, just those with various adjustments to recommend, such as librarians. I've been looking for a real debate since last May, so I could send people who query me to watch a video of it. I've yet to hear about one. What PBS tried to do is commendable. I fully agree will Paula that Google could have easily found a lawyer if they'd wanted. They liked the dynamics of a engineer going up against a professor. Since the settlement is 95% law and 5% technology, that engineer no doubt knew a lot about what Google claims copyright and class-action law says. But faced with a genuinely well-informed lawyer, anything that engineer said would have collapsed into rubble. Heck, I'm an engineer myself and not a lawyer, but I'm familiar with enough copyright law that with a little preparation I could make an on-the-air debate painful for any Google representative, whether he be an engineer or a lawyer. The Google settlement's fatal flaw is that it violates every copyright law ever written, including international treaties signed by all but a handful of tiny nations. Copyright law simply doesn't make the distinction Google wants to make between in-print and out-of-print. That would be nonsense. If it did, the most out-of-print works of all, those that have never been published, would have no copyright protection. This isn’t surprising. There have been a number of ‘informational’ public meetings with Google participation, but all that I’m aware of were relatively one-sided. No one with serious objections to the settlement was invited to speak, just those with various adjustments to recommend, such as librarians. I’ve been looking for a real debate since last May, so I could send people who query me to watch a video of it. I’ve yet to hear about one. What PBS tried to do is commendable.

I fully agree will Paula that Google could have easily found a lawyer if they’d wanted. They liked the dynamics of a engineer going up against a professor. Since the settlement is 95% law and 5% technology, that engineer no doubt knew a lot about what Google claims copyright and class-action law says. But faced with a genuinely well-informed lawyer, anything that engineer said would have collapsed into rubble.

Heck, I’m an engineer myself and not a lawyer, but I’m familiar with enough copyright law that with a little preparation I could make an on-the-air debate painful for any Google representative, whether he be an engineer or a lawyer.

The Google settlement’s fatal flaw is that it violates every copyright law ever written, including international treaties signed by all but a handful of tiny nations. Copyright law simply doesn’t make the distinction Google wants to make between in-print and out-of-print. That would be nonsense. If it did, the most out-of-print works of all, those that have never been published, would have no copyright protection.

]]> By: Al http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/google-backs-out-of-newshour-google-books-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-1149233 Al Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:37:46 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/11/17/google-backs-out-of-newshour-google-books-debate/#comment-1149233 Sound to me like a trap. I think they were wise to cancel a last minute switch, I too would be suspicious. Sound to me like a trap. I think they were wise to cancel a last minute switch, I too would be suspicious.

]]> By: Paula B. http://www.teleread.com/chris-meadows/google-backs-out-of-newshour-google-books-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-1149228 Paula B. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:27:34 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/11/17/google-backs-out-of-newshour-google-books-debate/#comment-1149228 It was too late to find a Google lawyer? A gazillion-dollar company with an army of lawyers? Oh, please. It was too late to find a Google lawyer? A gazillion-dollar company with an army of lawyers? Oh, please.

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