Google Books
Which one is not like the others?
So this afternoon I find myself looking at Google Books - which many a time has proven to be a treasure trove of pre-Internet published materials - and this line-up of "Classics" and "Magazines" catches my eye.
The picture may be a bit difficult to read, so we have: Read more
Google Books helps reunite wartime survivors after 67 years
It's a heartwarming story that speaks to the power of the Internet ... and the expanding role of Google Books. Author James Keeffe, III, tells it in a guest post on The Official Google Blog: Read more
DOJ does the right thing by refusing Google Books deal
In a surprise blow to Google's massive efforts to corner the fledgling digital books market, the DOJ has given the thumbs-down to Google's settlement with the Author's Guild and Association of American Publishers. I, for one, couldn't be more delighted. Read more
Google buys reCAPTCHA for security, book scanning
Google today acquired reCAPTCHA, a tiny firm originally started as a project of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. CAPTCHAs are those funny little stretched out text images used with authentication. They can't be read by a computer, so they test that a human being is trying to access an account, and not a bot. Read more
UC Berkeley profs say Google Books copyright case is No. 1
Two University of California, Berkeley professors have come up with a good idea for a blog: It focuses on the top 10 pending cyberlaw cases, including those involving Google Books, net neutrality, warrentless wiretapping and Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The copyright case vs. Google over Google Books is No. 1 on their list. Read more
Of Copyright and the Internet
Did you know it’s illegal to download copyrighted songs without paying for it? If you’re familiar with the horror stories about the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) going after someone’s grandmother for allegedly doing just that, you already know its probably not a good thing to do. Or that it’s illegal to make copies of music from someone else’s CD or player? The same holds true of copyrighted software and books. Read more
Google Books deal gains more official foes: Microsoft, Yahoo, Amazon
The Google Books deal has gained a new, powerful group of enemies, the competitors that would be most hurt if the deal were to proceed: Microsoft, Yahoo, Amazon. Read more
Google wants an act of Congress to fix orphan books mess
On Thursday, Dan Clancy, engineering director for Google Book Search, defended Google's book-search plans before attendees at an event at the Computer History Museum. Last year, Google settled a lawsuit filed by publishers. The settlement gives Google the right to scan so-called "orphan" books, those that are not yet in the public domain (meaning they have copyright protection) but are out of print with unknown authors. Read more
Google takes aim at Amazon by giving away free eBook readers
In the guise of a game, Google today announced that it would be giving away 30 eBook Readers over the next 10 days to promote its expensive, controversial and unloved Google Books service. Participants have a chance of winning the eBook reader by playing the 10 Days in Google Books game. Each day three participants will win a reader and the first 20,000 people to play will win a sticker that advertises Google Books. Read more
Privacy group voices opposition to Google Books deal
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has jumped into the Google Books controversy. The privacy watchdog group wants pressure put on Google to build significant privacy protections into its Book Search service. The group says the service gives Google access to new personal information. Read more
EU to investigate Google Book deal
Google is getting more government scrutiny over its controversial Google Books deal. Government ministers from the European Union's member countries are meeting Thursday. They are expected to call for an investigation into the way Google Books handles copyright. Google Books allows users to search through books protected by copyright, and offers the complete works of books whose copyright has expired. Read more
Despite DOJ scrutiny, Google adds new features to Google Books
Today, Google announced a host of new features for Google Books, its site that makes the entire contents of books available for online search. The new-and-improved Google Books adds several new features for working with the electronic books that Google has showcased online. This despite the fact that last week, the Department of Justice said it would be taking a closer look at the underlying $125 million deal that makes Google Books possible.
The new features include: Read more
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