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 […]
eNews
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 […]
Rand eBooks
NAL is issuing ebook versions of Ayn Rand’s famous Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead today, along with electronic editions of eighteen other Rand works. The publisher says they shipped over 300,000 copies of Atlas Shrugged in the first half of this year, a 25 percent increase over total shipments in 2008. Also, two corrections from Friday’s e-news: Google Book Search does already work with Barnes & Noble, having partnered recently to offer public domain ebooks for free on BN’s new platform, and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games is available in ebook form.
More Google Case Updates
Sites like Justia and The Public Index continue to process the hundreds of additional letters logged by Judge Denny Chin’s office expressing views on the Google Books Settlement. Dozens upon dozens of foreign publishers–mostly from Germany, France, and Sweden–joined with earlier objections to the agreement. Additional associations expressing opposition include the French Publishers Association, the Finnish Book Publishers Association, the Nordic Publishers Association, the New Zealand Society of Authors, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and yes, even the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. In two separate filings, the attorney general of Texas and attorneys general from Pennsylvania, […]
Twelve Withholds Kennedy eBook
Twelve publisher Jon Karp tells the AP that the ebook version of Ted Kennedy’s TRUE COMPASS has been postponed “indefinitely,” calling it a “business decision.” He says the move “does not reflect any larger corporate policy,” saying “we felt that this particular hardcover edition of True Compass deserves to be the first and pre-eminent format for the book.” At the same time, Karp also comments, “You don’t expect a first-run movie to be available on cable the first weekend.” HBG USA ceo David Young reiterates the concerns expressed by his boss Arnaud Nourry recently, saying “I don’t think there’s a […]