Comments on: Authors Guild responds to Justice Department’s comments http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/authors-guild-responds-to-justice-departments-comments/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:45:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mike Perry http://www.teleread.com/paul-biba/authors-guild-responds-to-justice-departments-comments/comment-page-1/#comment-1155788 Mike Perry Sat, 06 Feb 2010 01:19:04 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/?p=37742#comment-1155788 Quote: "That innovation [meaning theft] didn’t truly abate until Apple came along with its iPod/iTunes model, making music easily and legally available at a reasonable price." Yes, but songs are posted on iTunes are only there with the permission of the copyright holders. That's why you won't find any Beattles music on iTunes. Most revealing of all, Apple didn't create its collection by making deals with libraries to scan all the music CDs in their collection. Its music was supplied by the copyright holders along with the proper legal permission. Apple will be doing the same thing with its upcoming iBookstore. It will be following the law. Apple lawyers are in a different class from Google's lawyers. I might add that I suspect that the real blame doesn't lie with the Authors Guild, despite all the flack they are getting for this. It lies with their legal counsel--a small team of lawyers who stand to pocket over $30 million from Google if this settlement is approved. Remember the old adage about the one paying the fiddler calling the tune. Quote: “That innovation [meaning theft] didn’t truly abate until Apple came along with its iPod/iTunes model, making music easily and legally available at a reasonable price.”

Yes, but songs are posted on iTunes are only there with the permission of the copyright holders. That’s why you won’t find any Beattles music on iTunes. Most revealing of all, Apple didn’t create its collection by making deals with libraries to scan all the music CDs in their collection. Its music was supplied by the copyright holders along with the proper legal permission. Apple will be doing the same thing with its upcoming iBookstore. It will be following the law. Apple lawyers are in a different class from Google’s lawyers.

I might add that I suspect that the real blame doesn’t lie with the Authors Guild, despite all the flack they are getting for this. It lies with their legal counsel–a small team of lawyers who stand to pocket over $30 million from Google if this settlement is approved. Remember the old adage about the one paying the fiddler calling the tune.

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