Westcott, G. (2009) ‘Googleopoly’ The Globe and Mail, Feb 21
This is an excellent article by a Toronto lawyer and Vice-Chair of the Canadian Copyright Institute, about the implications of the Google Settlement regarding their right to copy and distribute published books. Anyone who has published, or intends to publish, needs to read this article.
Quotes:
‘The settlement is astonishing in its scope. If approved, it will permit Google, on a non-exclusive basis, to continue to digitize books from any source, and to maintain, expand and sell access to its enormous digital library in a number of specified ways.’
‘One implication you won’t find mentioned in U.S. summaries is the effect on libraries in Canada and the rest of the world. Unable to get access to a Google institutional subscription outside the U.S., Canada’s university libraries will be unable to compete with the more comprehensive offerings in the U.S., or, for that matter, with the offerings of even the smallest of its public libraries, each of which is entitled under the settlement to free access on one terminal to the entire Google database. Because the settlement does not address Canadian rights in books, Canadian users don’t get the benefits; outside the U.S., Google Book Search remains unchanged.’
Details of upcoming seminars and online seminars to explain the settlement can be found here
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
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