The most recent chapter in the evolution of the book is getting attention from international courts, Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft and Yahoo, and The United States Department of Justice. As the world’s wealth of digitized knowledge grows, Google hopes to add to the collection by scanning thousands of books and making them available to anyone with access to the web. Some books would be available for free and others would require a purchase in order to view the entire work.
This move did not go unnoticed by authors and publishers who immediately sued Google for breaching copyright laws. After reaching an agreement that would require Google to share any revenues it receives from digital book purchases with authors and publishers, the two parties are currently seeking judicial approval of the agreement.
But not everyone is in support of this new arrangement. Several countries including Germany, France, and Japan have filed reports to the American Court handling the case, claiming that this agreement would violate their copyright laws. Competing firms like Amazon, the manufacturer of the Kindle, suggest that the arrangement would create a monopoly and limit choice for consumers.
Our recent discussions in class regarding the balance between rewarding those who innovate while also allowing society as a whole to benefit from an idea, come to mind when reading this article. Are Google’s actions anti-competitive or are they providing a revolutionary service and technology to society? I believe that this issue will resolve itself when publishers and authors accept this new medium for their work and embrace the digital model. Regardless of the decision, the technology of accessing thousands of books from your computer or phone is here to stay. So read on!
4 comments:
Welcome to the new age of technology! I believe that Google is leading us into the future, by making millions of hard to find books available on the internet. By having a small price tag on this new service, would provide millions of readers with helpful information, as well as see Google's stocks shoot through the roof. If and when Google does get approved with this new way of thinking, they could well leave their competitors miles behind!
Nathaniel this is a great article especially after the online interview we listened to with Romer. In this case, I think that Google should be rewarded for their innovative thinking. I am certain that competitors Microsoft and Yahoo! will do everything they can to reduce Google's growth. The two companies have already teamed up on certain projects. I believe Google is opening doors for society. In the interview we compared companies that were "selfish" and not letting everyone benefit from their ideas because of copyright issues. The online book example is creating benefits for both society and Google. They have certainly created a new industry online and deserve to be rewarded.
Google started with web search, email, maps, google earth, photopublisher, online video, and now online books. Could music be there next frontier?
Nathaniel, this is a great article. I didn't know about this, but it's such a splendid idea.
I agree with what Google is doing from several reasons. First, obviously it increases the contents we can use for researches. Moreover, we can get some chances to see old, but excellent books (not in the market anymore) from online. Furthermore, it might be able to reduce the consumption of papers since we can see everything online.
At least from a user's view, nothing to complain about this decision unless Google pledges not to violate the current copyright law.
Post a Comment