COPYCENSE

“Google’s new Book Search promises to save writers’ and publishers’ asses by putting their books into the index of works that are visible to searchers who get all their information from the Internet. In response, publishers and writers are suing Google, claiming that this ass-saving is in fact a copyright violation.

“When you look a little closer, though, you see that the writer/publisher objections to Google amount to nothing more than rent-seeking: an attempt to use legal threats to milk Google for some of the money it will make by providing this vital service to us ink-stained scribblers.”

Boing Boing. Why Publishing Should Send Fruit-Baskets to Google. Feb. 14, 2006.

Updates:

Xeni Jardin. You Authors Are Saps to Resist Googling. LATimes.com. Feb. 23, 2006.

CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.