Earlier this year the US Copyright Office solicited comment on “copyright law and policy issues raised by artificial intelligence systems,” in order to “help assess whether legislative or regulatory steps in this area are warranted.” They have received nearly 10,000 comments, which were recently posted into a searchable archive, including extensive submissions from market leaders such as OpenAI, Google and Meta. Google takes the classic tech company approach, suggesting any issues should be left to the courts (where final adjudication will be glacial). Like all of their peers, they argue that large language models (LLMs) are just math; they “capture […]
Archives for November 2023
Marking the Days
Whether you see it as a time of harvest and winding down for hibernation or a period of declining light, temperature and life force, fall is a sentimental season. Our usual antidote is to focus on commemoration, and looking forward to renewal on the horizon, even when events in the world or one’s own life makes it difficult (which is too often the case). Typically this is when we take a brief moment to mark the launch of PublishersMarketplace.com in a different challenging season — 22 years ago, in fall 2001, shortly after 9/11 and not too long after the […]
GMA Book Club
Barnes & Noble Book of the Year Finalists
Barnes & Noble announced 12 finalists for their 2023 Book of the Year, as nominated by booksellers.
People 11/3
All Seasons Press Sues Author Mark Meadows For Lying — Or For Then Telling the Truth?
In a filing that deftly blends unintended comedy with performance art, publisher All Seasons Press sued author Mark Meadows in a Florida state court on Friday, alleging breach of contract in his publishing agreement. They seek payment of approximately $3 million in expenses, potential lost profits, and “reputational harm.” The publisher says that they are acting based on unconfirmed press reports that Meadows testified before a grand jury in exchange for immunity “that neither he nor President Trump actually believed…claims” that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. The suit claims the publisher “determined that it was legally and ethically obliged […]