Public Policy Connections

OSTP Public Forum Launched to Discuss Options for Improving Public Access to Results of Federally Funded Research

The U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has launched a public consultation on Public Access Policy. The Administration is seeking public input on access to publicly-funded research results, such as those that appear in academic and scholarly journal articles. Currently, the National Institutes of Health require that research funded by its grants be made available to the public online at no charge within 12 months of publication. The Administration is seeking views as to whether this policy should be extended to other science agencies and, if so, how it should be implemented.

For full details, see the Federal Register notice.

French President Sarkozy Opposes GBS 2.0

International opposition to Google Books Settlement 2.0 continues to grow. Most recently, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he’ll block Google from digitizing “France’s heritage.” According to a BusinessWeek story, Sarkozy suggested that a share of a multi-billion Euro-economic investment plan could be used to digitize French books.

GBS 2.0 foes in France also include Editions du Seuil, a publisher that says Google Books violated national copyright laws. Editions du Seuil challenged Google in a French court in September and awaits a judge’s decision on 18 December 2009. Google has scanned over 100,000 French works still protected by copyright, according to the Syndicat National de l’Edition, one of the two trade groups that have joined Editions du Seuil’s complaint

EFF Evaluates Google Books Settlement 2.0

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has been evaluating the Google Books Settlement (aka "Settlement  2.0", a 300-page PDF).  So far, EFF has posted five articles evaluating  1) pros and cons, 2) access, 3) competition, 4) privacy, and 5) censorship.  The New York court is expected to decide whether to approve the revised settlement sometime in the first half of 2010. If you have not had time to read and fully comprehend the 300-page document, the following may prove to be helpful. 

Evaluating Google Books Settlement 2.0:

Part 1 : Evaluating the Pros and Cons
Part 2:  Evaluating Access
Part 3:  Evaluating Competition
Part 4:  Evaluating Privacy
Part 5:  Evaluating Censorship

US Senators ask White House to make ACTA Text Public

On 23 November 2009, two US Senators, Bernie Sanders (I-VI) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), wrote a letter to the US Trade Representative requesting that the secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) be made available, and that the public be allowed to review and comment on substantive proposals in the text.

The ACTA treaty allows for criminal sanctions against non-commercial file-sharers, demands border-searches of laptop hard-drives and personal devices for pirated material, requires ISPs to spy on their users, and gives movie and record companies the right to take whole households off the Internet with unsubstantiated allegations of piracy.

Several organizations, including SLA, sent a letter on 5 November 2009 to President Obama expressing concerns about the lack of transparency and openness surrounding the negotiations on ACTA.  The letter also points out that  multiple aspects of ACTA fail to meet Open Government Initiative standards.

Read: 23 November 2009 Letter to US Trade Representative

Read Blog: BoingBoing 

Read Blog: Knowledge Ecology International 

Read: 5 November 2009 Letter to President Obama

 

UK's Digital Economy Bill Criticized by Those Favoring Balanced Copyright Reform

Lord Peter Mandelson, the United Kingdom's first Secretary of State, has introduced a Digital Economy Bill that would give him (and future politicians) the power to rewrite Britain's core copyright legislation with little Parliamentary debate, using fast-track secondary legislation. The UK Labour administration is said to be impatient to pass its Digital Economy agenda. Critics say puts at risk more balanced, deliberate reform of copyright law.

Read:  EFF Action Alert

Read: UK Digital Economy Bill

Read News Story: The Inquirer

Columbia University Launches Updated Copyright Website

The Copyright Advisory Office of Columbia University in New York City has launched a fully revised and updated website of copyright issues and information. The new website offers expanded pages on copyright ownership, fair use, publication agreements, the Google Books settlement, and more.

Read: Press Release

Go to: Website

Revised Google Book Settlement Filed

On Friday 13 November 2009,Google, the Authors Guild, and the Association of American Publishers released their Amended Settlement Agreement and a motion for preliminary approval of the amended settlement. 

The modified agreement, among many things, provides more flexibility offering discounts on electronic books as well as promising to make it easier for others to access and resell digital books covered in the settlement. Google hopes the series of new provisions will help keep the deal alive. The parties' motion also seeks Court approval of a Supplemental Notice which, if approved, will be sent out in early December 2009.

Read: Redline version of the Amended Settlement Agreement

Read More: Coyle's InFormation 

Is ACTA on an Overreaching Copyright World Tour?

The Washington Post article "Copyright overreach takes a world tour" by Rob Pegoraro does a good job of summarizing many concerns on how the  Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) may (or may not) affect the citizenry of the U.S.  ACTA represents an attempt by the United States and other countries to set common rules for violations of intellectual-property laws.

Several organizations, including SLA, sent a letter on 5 November 2009 to President Obama expressing concerns about the lack of transparency and openness surrounding the negotiations on ACTA.  The letter also points out that  multiple aspects of ACTA fail to meet Open Government Initiative standards.

Read: Washington Post article

Read: Letter to President Obama

European Commission Adopts Communication on Copyright

The European Commission adopted a Communication on Copyright in the Knowledge Economy aiming to tackle the important cultural and legal challenges of mass-scale digitization and dissemination of books, in particular of European library collections. Digital libraries, such as Europeana, will provide researchers and consumers across Europe with new ways to gain access to knowledge. For this, however, the EU will need to find a solution for orphan works, whose uncertain copyright status means they often cannot be digitized. Improving the distribution and availability of works for persons with disabilities, particularly the visually impaired, is another cornerstone of the Communication.

Read: Press Release
Read: Citizens' Summary
Read: Communication on Copyright in the Knowledge Economy

Deadline Set for Revised Google Book Settlement

In the October 7, 2009 Court Hearing in Google Book Settlement Case, Federal Judge Danny Chin set November 9, 2009 as the date by which Google and its partners must submit a revised settlement for the court’s preliminary approval.

Many believe the revised settlement must be subject to full review and scrutiny by the vast array of stakeholders -- authors, academics, consumer advocates, privacy groups, libraries, and others -- who have spoken out. The Open Book Alliance, of which SLA is a member, issued statement from co-founder Peter Brantley in response to the U.S. District Court hearing on the Google Book Settlement case.

Read: Open Book Alliance Statement

Read news story: Judge Sets Nov. 9 Deadline For Revised Google Book Settlement

Read news story: Google Books court saga continues

Read news story: Google Gets Until Nov. 9 to Revise Book Pact