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Authors Guild Accuses Amazon of Hypocrisy in Google Filing

I just added my comment to the latest on the Google Author Settlement in the online version of the New York Times. Let's see if my pissed off rant is Times worthy . . .

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/authors-guild-accuses-amazon-of-hypocrisy-in-google-filing/#comment-316859

In response to Amazon’s filing in opposition to Google’s landmark settlement with publishers and authors, the Authors Guild, one of the parties to the settlement, fired back with a statement on its Web site late yesterday.

In its filing, Amazon said the settlement would violate antitrust laws by giving Google a monopoly over millions of so-called orphan works and create a cartel controlled by authors and publishers for setting prices for e-books.

“Amazon’s hypocrisy is breathtaking,” the guild’s statement read. “It dominates online bookselling and the fledgling e-book industry.”

The deadline for filing objections to the settlement was extended until Tuesday and various parties have been making a flurry of statements.

Today, a group of supporters of the settlement, including the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and League of United Latin American Citizens, held a conference call to share their views, citing the social justice consequences of the settlement, which would make millions of books searchable online.

“Access to knowledge means access to equal opportunity,” said Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.
4 Comments
1. September 4, 2009
1:52 am

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Amazon’s opposition to the settlement may indeed be hypocritical, but it still makes a point worth considering.

— Paul

2. September 4, 2009
2:42 am

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I’m with Amazon on this one — I haven’t bought an actual Kindle, but I got the Kindle app on my iTouch, and it’s allowed me to download dozens of free, public domain books like the works of Jane Austen. I don’t want Google to have a monopoly on orphan works — I want to see them go up on Project Gutenberg and become free, downloadable e-books.

— PG

3. September 4, 2009
10:23 am

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So, what about CMU’s Project Gutenberg? Not as fancy as some eBooks, but zillions of texts. … and all LEGAL & FREE to download. The eBook creators *need* to add *value* to a non-copyrighted volume to be able to charge for it and make a viable profit. I’ll wait & see. …

Also, what’s the scoop on the “rights il perpetuity” copyrights in this country? These days, anything published after about 1935 has one of these. …

Finally, the book industry & writers’ guild needs to remember the revenge of the hackers on the Music Industry. … (Yeah, that group that sold you the same song in 45rpm, 8trk, cassette, 33rpm, CD, & digital-w/DRM? … all at FULL price?) The same may happen to books, and soon. The eBook folks had better hope that really inexpensive OCR software doesn’t become available. … (Cheap scanners may soon become the bane of Textbook sales. …)

PS. I have a bunch of classic 33rpms for sale (since I dumped my turntable 5 years ago). I also check out my books from the library. … I buy my CDs & spin them into my PC for personal use. … And, send some to my (antique) Treo650 for mobile play. … I WILL ***NEVER*** PURCHASE DRM MUSIC! Enjoy. …

— David Ecale

4. September 4, 2009
10:30 am

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One other note on Libraries (from my 2nd grade field trip to the Elmhurst Public Library in Elmhurst, Ill.):

Librarian: “You can 1) check out books from our collection, 2) check out books from Inter-Library-Loan if we don’t have them, and 3) Ask us to buy a book, if the other two options don’t work. …”

So I do. … and so should you. … The local library is the *best* use of your tax dollars. … Use a library wisely & only purchase a book that you wish to collect, read many times (after previewing it through the library), or need as a close and often used reference. …

Enjoy, …

— David Ecale

5. September 4, 2009
9:27 pm

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Are you friggin’ kidding me?!!! “Access to knowledge means access to equal opportunity”???!!!! Google STOLE my book, and INFRINGED ON MY COPYRIGHTS!!! What about my equal opportunity NOT TO BE RIPPED OFF!!! I think I have the CIVIL RIGHT not to be victimized by Google!!! They don’t want to share knowledge, they want to make AD REVENUE by TRAMPLING on ME!!!

— casinocon

If you haven't guessed, I'm "casinocon".