Google has no right to sell access to the works of authors who haven't given their consent. The scanning of entire libraries of books is massive, criminal copyright infringement, and Google should be prosecuted for doing it.
And if they don't agree to let their books be scanned, well -- let them drown in obscurity. The books I have spent money on are all books that I could freely get my hands on in the first place. Having a book available for free does not degrade the value of that work, it only makes the work more accessible.
Google has no right to sell access to the works of authors who haven't given their consent. The scanning of entire libraries of books is massive, criminal copyright infringement, and Google should be prosecuted for doing it.
ReplyDeleteUnless they AGREE to it, like in this case.
ReplyDeleteAnd, anyway it's the University of Virginia that's selling access to its works.
And if they don't agree to let their books be scanned, well -- let them drown in obscurity. The books I have spent money on are all books that I could freely get my hands on in the first place. Having a book available for free does not degrade the value of that work, it only makes the work more accessible.
ReplyDelete