[Nfbmo] Link: Google Books gets it's day in court

DanFlasar at aol.com DanFlasar at aol.com
Thu Feb 18 19:43:48 UTC 2010


I still haven't come to a conclusion about the merits of  those opposed to 
Google's plans to scan in 
nearly all the books in America's academic libraries, but Dr. Maurer  
weighed in on the considerable benefits of the deal for the blind.  HIs  comments 
are in the first paragraph of a tory linked at the bottom of this  email.
 
    If you recall, Google began scanning in all the books in  major 
libraries at major universities some years
ago.  The NFB, concerned that the books were merely scans (pictures of  the 
book pages) rather than processed
into readable text, devoted a good deal of time and attention in making  
Google aware of the accessibility issues of the then-current version of Google 
 Books.
     Other issues, as explained below, are  that Google has entered into an 
agreement with some writer's 
groups to pay royalties (in some manner I don't fully understand yet),  
which would then free Google to charge
readers for the ability to download - or at least read on-line - the books  
Google has processed.   Gaining
access to so many new books is great - but many groups feel that Google is  
staking out vast new legal
territory in acccess to information.   I don't think this will  affect 
either the NLS or Bookshare in any way.
   At any rate, here's the article linked below.  I think  they have a way 
to go yet.
 
 
_http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/18/google-books-gets-its-day_n_466904
.html_ 
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/18/google-books-gets-its-day_n_466904.html) 
 
 
Dan





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