Google book scanning settlement slowly becoming recognized as monopolistic
Saturday, April 4th, 2009It appears that people are slowly waking up to the realization that the Google book scanning settlement is a really, really bad thing. The head of Harvard’s library system is quoted as saying: “Google will be a monopoly.” We’ve blogged here a few times about the fundamental problems with allowing the Google scanning settlement to [...]
WSJ calls Google book scanning settlement a “rip-off for authors”
Monday, March 30th, 2009The Wall Street Journal is running a well-written and persuasive editorial strongly against the Google book scanning settlement, calling it a “rip-off” for authors. The author warns that we are all on track to become “Google’s data-entry slaves” and that it turns authors “into fully subordinated, last-in-line net residuaries.” Our editorial position is similarly very [...]
Kindle is Heir-Apparent to Betamax
Friday, March 13th, 2009They really just don’t get it. In a move to prevent the possibility that someone could use the Kindle to buy e-books from (gasp!) a retailer other than Amazon, the same had its attorneys contact MobileRead and demand that they remove some user posted scripts that effectively “unlocked” the Kindle so that it could be [...]
The Scanning Age; or, a primer on the Corporate State
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009A recent article in the New York Times talks about Google’s so-called “pursuit” of copyholders on the books they are digitizing. This is part of the settlement announce last October that effectively legalizes Google’s blatant trademark infringement. As part of the settlement, Google is given the green light to violate one’s trademark as an author, [...]
What does Biblio.com do with all the money it makes?
Thursday, February 26th, 2009Couldn’t resist the eye-grabbing headline. At risk of disappointing the reader, I have to confess that we’re really not talking that much money. While we’re profitable (even despite the economy) I’m afraid our bottom line would look like a rounding error to many big companies. (At least its a black rounding error, though) Its surprising [...]
The Great Google Book Search Settlement
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009I found an interesting bit of news linking the book world to the geek work recently in Timothy Lee’s report over at Ars Technica on remarks by Richard Sarnoff, the chairman of the Association of American Publishers, at Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy. Mr. Sarnoff pointed out that the market for downloadable books is [...]