Google Links of Links
This is an occasionally updated post of links I've found that themselves link to a variety of discussions on the subject of this Google business in particular, but also to the larger questions of Fair Use, Public Domain, Piracy and so forth.
A particularly good one comes from the new academic librarian blog ACRLog that, in addition to discussing the matters dear to their hearts, mention the excellent, albeit too short, New York Times Magazine piece on clearing rights for documentaries.
Then, here's Ed's take on my first posting on the subject, as well as another great item that Ed found that really ticked my amateur copyright lawyer funny bone.
This latter one I found particularly bright. He’s a pox-on-both-your-houses fellow, but I did think that his characterization of Google was quite illuminating. They come from a culture not necessarily of information wants to be free (since obviously they’ll hog patents, and databases) but of information IS almost free. Or, at least, that the marginal cost of reproducing it is zero. Whereas, as we all know, printers do not in fact reprint for free.
It does reinforce a thought I've been having about the distinction between my position, and that of other publishers—those who are frontlist dependent (where publicity is particularly important) and publisher who are backlist dependent (where preserving value, and repurposing content is seen to be crucial.) I do still hold that hoarding backlist will weaken it over 50 years.
Some very interesting stuff on the other side of the Atlantic also, from Grumpy Old Book Man who in particular identifies a somewhat technical site called INDICARE. I know eyes will glaze over when you see it, but it really is so crucial for us all to get schooled on this. Because, frankly, those with the money are schooling themselves right now. I really cannot understate the significance of the developments in intellectual property law and practice over the last decades and the coming one. The debates over the minimum wage and Social Security and pension funds, while significant, are nevertheless so much less salient to how the world's economy will be organized 100 years from now than IP law.
The Dean of Expaning the Public Domain, Larry Lessig, weighed in on his blog, and there are many illuminating comments.