The debate about the Google settlement, like most of any consequence or intellectual interest (what the government should do about health care or energy, for example) actually engages a wider range of knowledge than most of us have. But we feel comfortable having an opinion about what we should do about health care or energy […]
The Google settlement and the alternatives
Thanks to Peter Brantley and his work spotting items of interest, I was pointed to a post in Wired which is an FAQ on the Google settlement. It is, as far as I can tell, an accurate summary that leads people through the issues in a way that discourages support for the settlement. But I […]
The Google settlement and unanswered questions, particularly about the windfall
Michael Cairns and I have both been frustrated with most of the conversation surrounding the Google Book Search settlement. The principal concerns of most of the participants in the dialogue seem to be: 1. Has Google unfairly captured a monopoly on some content? 2. Has the “class” of “orphan authors” been dealt with fairly, since […]
A serious issue for big publishers
The Google settlement brings into bold relief what has been a quiet issue for book publishers, particularly the biggest ones. They are largely in the dark about what rights they own. It is not really hard to understand why they’re in this position and it isn’t really anybody’s “fault”, but it sure is a mess. […]
A slightly different take on the Google settlement
I have read and listened to a lot of dialogue about the Google settlement. I’m not a lawyer and I’m not a librarian or archivist and I’m not a scholar who would be interested in those “non-consumptive uses” I didn’t know about before this all happened. To the extent that I had a horse in […]