With echoes of at least one of the unresolved fair-use issues in the Google suit, author Elaine Scott sued Scribd.com last week in a Houston Federal District Court, represented by Camara & Sibley, seeking class action status on behalf of “every author who owns a valid registered copyright in a work infringed by Scribd.” The filing accuses the company of believing that “commercial copyright infringement is not illegal, unless and until the injured party discovers and complains of the infringing activity, and (the) infringer fails to respond to such complaints.” They accuse Scribd of having “broken barriers to copyright infringement […]
Archives for September 2009
People
At Harper, Tara Weikum has been promoted to editorial director in the Children’s division, continuing to lead the editorial group responsible for developing and publishing single-title teen fiction and tween girls’ fiction. She has been with the company for nine years. Amy Wideman has been promoted to senior editor at becker&mayer! Book Producers. At Penguin Children’s, Kimberly Lauber has been promoted t0 manager of educational marketing. In commemoration of his 60th birthday and 37 years “in the uninterrupted employ of Random House, Inc. and the previous corporate companies now part of it, Bantam Books and Bantam Doubleday Dell,” evp of […]
As Predicted, Oprah to Pick Uwem Akpan's Story Collection
The metadata posted last month made Uwem Akpan’s SAY YOU’RE ONE OF THEM the odds-on favorite as Oprah Winfrey’s new book club selection (a Little, Brown book, available in 14.99 paperback and 23.99 hardcover editions). The Washington Post confirmed it yesterday, saying that additional information was accidentally leaked. The first version of the story named Ingram as the leaker; the version in today’s paper simply blames a “book distribution company.” Oprah Winfrey Show spokesperson Angela DePaul told the Post, “We don’t comment on advance speculation. Oprah announces her book club selections on her show and shares her reasons for choosing […]
Justice Expected to File Concerns Over Google Settlement
The newest leak comes in a WSJ posted Thursday, which says “the filing is likely to discuss the department’s concern that parts of the agreement may hurt the interests of other parties, such as Google’s potential competitors in the nascent digital-book market.” They say the Department of Justice has concerns that the BRR could lead to “prohibitively high prices.” The Journal confirms the earlier Bloomberg story that the settlement parties have been talking to the DOJ to see “whether the parties could revise the agreement to make a filing unnecessary” and asserts that Justice “believes some of its concerns can […]
Sources Say Google and Plaintiffs Are Talking to Justice About Settlement Modifications
Citing two anonymous sources, Bloomberg reported last night that the parties are in discussions with the Justice Department in advance of tomorrow’s deadline for the DOJ to file their views on the Google Books Settlement case with Judge Denny Chin. “The discussions are aimed at modifying the settlement in ways that ease Justice Department concerns that the deal would let Google discourage other companies from competing for access to the books online, said one of the people.” Meanwhile, Google ceo Eric Schmidt tries a little pro-active public relations. In an interview with Search Engine Land he mostly addresses the specious […]
Amazon Says That, Excluding Pre-Orders, Lost Symbol Sold More Kindle Units on Day One than Print Books
Calling it “the big surprise” (if they do say so themselves)–and pretty much confirming the importance of those pre-publication deliberations on issuing a simultaneous ebook edition–Amazon makes this report by e-mail to the WSJ. Of course the pre-orders were significant, so that exclusion is a big one. Also, Doubleday clarified yesterday afternoon that they sold over 1 million units–print and electronic–in the book’s first day on sale. Separately, while Twelve declined to quantify opening results for Ted Kennedy’s TRUE COMPASS, spokesman Cary Goldstein says “our opening day reports have unquestionably exceeded expectations.”