Public Policy Connections

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

Google Book Search Bibliography

Digital Scholarship has produced Version 5 of the Google Book Search Bibliography.  The bibliography focuses primarily on the evolution of Google Book Search and the legal, library, and social issues associated with it. Where possible, links are provided to works that are freely available on the Internet, including e-prints in disciplinary archives and institutional repositories.

Open Book Alliance Files Brief Countering Proposed Google Book Settlement

The Open Book Alliance filed an amicus brief on 8 September with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York countering the proposed settlement between Google, the Association of American Publishers (AAP), and the Authors’ Guild. 

The Open Book Alliance is a coalition of librarians, legal scholars, authors, publishers, and technology companies created to counter the proposed Google Book Settlement in its current form. SLA is a member.

Opposition to the Google Books Settlement has been growing and is flowing in from all corners of the United States. Major players in Europe also had their chance to express their problems with the scheme in recent days. Both France and Germany have officially registered their objection to the deal. A French minister stated plainly: “Google will have a monopoly digitalising European orphan works without permission.”

Open Book Alliance Website Launched

We announced in late August that SLA joined a new alliance calling for the investigation into the Google Books Settlement. The Open Book Alliance website officially launched on 26 August 2009. SLA is participating in this newly formed alliance in order to seek resolution on issues of copyright, access, anti-trust and privacy in the Google Books Settlement case.

A completely electronic, searchable, and universally accessible repository of digital books has the potential to bring untold value and knowledge to individuals, organizations and libraries, making more information available to more people around the globe. SLA looks forward to that day. In the meantime, we are joining this effort because we believe that the DOJ must look into the full ramifications of this settlement on issues of copyright, access, affordability and privacy.

SLA’s goal is to ensure that any mass book digitization and distribution system addresses those extremely important issues, and that access to such valuable information remains open and competitive. We are also looking for additional answers on how the settlement will achieve a fair and accessible system. As with any important legal decision that may threaten the accessibility of information to the public, SLA believes it should be grounded in sound public policy, be mindful of the long-term benefits for the greater good, as well as take into consideration input from the public and important stakeholders.

UK Government Considering New Measures to Tackle Illegal File Sharing and Solicits Stakeholder Feedback

The UK Government is considering new measures on tackling illegal file sharing. Under new proposals, internet service providers would be obliged to block access to download sites, throttle broadband connections, or temporarily cut off access for repeat offenders.
Read news story.

To enable stakeholders to provide feedback on the new proposals, the UK Government issued an explanatory statement and extended the current consultation on unlawful P2P file sharing to 29 September.
Read BIS news release.

AALL, MLA and SLA Provide Response to Questions on Exemptions for DVD Clips

The U.S. Copyright Office requested answers from participants of the Section 1201 hearing dealing with DVD clips. On 6 May 2009, comments were made on behalf of American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), Medical Library Association (MLA) and Special Libraries Association (SLA) on the issue of exemption to prohibition circumvention of copyright protection systems before the U.S. Copyright Office.

The answers to the questions, many of them highly technical, were provided to the U.S. Copyright Office on 10 July 2009. AALL, MLA, and SLA reiterated the request from our hearing statement, and asks that the exemption granted to faculty in media and film studies programs after the 2006 rulemaking proceeding be broadened to faculty of law and the health sciences, and that the exemption be extended to include lawfully-acquired copies from any source permitted by 17 U.S.C. § 110 (1). AALL, MLA, and SLA welcome the possibility of finding a workable solution to meet the needs of our members for educational aids, while ensuring predictable and efficient access to DVDs for the purpose of preparing short, focused clips.

DOJ Investigating Google Books Settlement

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a formal investigation into the settlement between Google and book publishers over digital publishing rights. In a letter sent last week to the federal judge charged with reviewing the settlement, the DOJ said it was reviewing concerns that the agreement could violate the Sherman Antitrust Act.

SLA has been active in discussions with Google about the proposed settlement. At SLA’s 2009 Public Policy Update, Dan Clancy, engineering director, Google Book Search, provided an overview of the scope of the Google Book Search Settlement Agreement and addressed various concerns and questions from audience members.
Read more.

2008 Country Reports Now Available on IFLA Site

On 24 June, IFLA posted the 2008 Country Reports. The reports contain changes in national copyright legislation, lobby and educational activities, law cases, and strategic plans for the future.

Conference Board of Canada Recalls Reports after Plagariarism Charges

As reported on 27 May, the Conference Board of Canada was accused of plagiarizing from a U.S. lobby group's documents, which label Canadians as the file-swapping capital of the world. The Conference Board of Canada has now recalled three reports and issued a statement that an internal review determined that these reports did not follow their high quality research standards.
Read news story.

Conference Board of Canada Accused of Plagiarizing Copyright Report

The Conference Board of Canada has been accused of plagiarizing from a U.S. lobby group's documents, which label Canadians as the file-swapping capital of the world.

Michael Geist, a Canada Research Chair at the University of Ottawa, said the new study on the digital economy from the Conference Board is a "deceptive, plagiarized report" that copied passages from the International Intellectual Property Alliance, including one instance without any attribution. The alliance is the primary U.S. copyright lobby group representing the movie, music and software industries.

Read news stories from: Canada.com; Ottawacitizen.com

Read Conference Board Press Release; Conference Board Report; Conference Board Defense of Report

UPDATE: The Conference Board of Canada recalled three reports and issued a statement that an internal review determined that these reports did not follow their high quality research standards.
Learn more.