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January 07, 2006
Google Book Search
Google Book Search, previously called Google Print and Google Library Search, has engendered controversy among librarians, publishers and authors, as well as more than one lawsuit. While Google's stated goal is admirable, some authors and many publishers are perturbed by what they see as a loss of control of their intellectual property.
Personally, I think Google's goal is a worthy one, and could offer a very accessible way to uncover the huge amount of information hiding in books. I tend to agree with the Google that this project is about discovery. Books can't be read on Google Book Search, but they can be discovered. Yet no one can deny that Google will profit from offering this finding tool.
Whether this project is consistent with copyright law, I couldn't say as that's certainly not my area of expertise. Even among the experts, there certainly isn't a consensus. But if you'd like a fairly clear view of both sides of the copyright issue, see the Congressional Research Service Report, "The Google Book Search Project: Is Online Indexing a Fair Use Under Copyright Law?", by Robin Jeweler, issued December 28, 2005, posted here on LawLibTech.
For more information on the Google Book Search controversy, see:
The Authors Guild, Associational Plaintiff, and : Herbert Mitgang, Betty Miles and Daniel Hoffman v. Google, U.S. District Court, New York Southern District. (I was unable to view this PDF. If you have the same problem, search Google for the complaint, then click on "View as HTML.")
The Battle over Books: Authors and Publishers Take on the Google Print Library Project - A video of a discussion held November 17th at the New York Public Library. One of my favorite quotes - "Information does not want to be free, but it does want to be found." This is a very entertaining debate.
Google Library Project Hit by Copyright Challenge from University Presses, by Barbara Quint
The Other Shoe Drops: Google Print Sued for Copyright Violation, by Barbara Quint
Why We Believe in Google Print, (Google Blog) posted by David Drummond, General Counsel and Vice President, Corporate Development
Writers Side With Google in Scrap, Wired, Oct. 26, 2005
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