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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Google books deal battle heats up | Google books deal battle heats up |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The battle over Google's effort to digitise the world's books and create a vast online library has intensified. | The battle over Google's effort to digitise the world's books and create a vast online library has intensified. |
| Authors have until Friday to opt out of the $125m settlement the search giant made with authors and publishers. | Authors have until Friday to opt out of the $125m settlement the search giant made with authors and publishers. |
| The date for comments to the New York court overseeing the class action suit was extended from Friday to Tuesday, after the filing system went down. | The date for comments to the New York court overseeing the class action suit was extended from Friday to Tuesday, after the filing system went down. |
| As time ticks away, supporters and critics have been manning both sides of the debate to win the public case. | As time ticks away, supporters and critics have been manning both sides of the debate to win the public case. |
| 'Civil right' | 'Civil right' |
| The settlement reached last October stemmed from a 2005 legal suit that Google faced for scanning out-of-print works without explicit permission from rights holders. | The settlement reached last October stemmed from a 2005 legal suit that Google faced for scanning out-of-print works without explicit permission from rights holders. |
| If approved by a judge, Google would create a Book Rights Registry where authors and publishers could register works and be compensated. | If approved by a judge, Google would create a Book Rights Registry where authors and publishers could register works and be compensated. |
| The US Student Association says access is the key in this settlement | The US Student Association says access is the key in this settlement |
| Ahead of Friday's opt-out for authors, Google lined up a number of professors, students and civil rights activists who support the deal. | Ahead of Friday's opt-out for authors, Google lined up a number of professors, students and civil rights activists who support the deal. |
| "We see access to knowledge as a civil right," Wade Henderson, president and chief executive of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, told reporters in a conference call. | "We see access to knowledge as a civil right," Wade Henderson, president and chief executive of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, told reporters in a conference call. |
| "Information enables individuals to learn, to create and to pursue their dreams. Access to knowledge defines the meaning of equal opportunity in a democratic society," said Mr Henderson. | "Information enables individuals to learn, to create and to pursue their dreams. Access to knowledge defines the meaning of equal opportunity in a democratic society," said Mr Henderson. |
| Have Your Say Nothing is free, and we have no way of knowing what the true cost will be. P. H. L, San Francisco Read more of your comments | |
| Access was also the issue that led the United States Student Association to throw its weight behind the Google books programme. | Access was also the issue that led the United States Student Association to throw its weight behind the Google books programme. |
| "Today, millions of books are accessible only to the privileged few who are accepted to universities and can actually afford to attend," said association president Gregory Cendana. | "Today, millions of books are accessible only to the privileged few who are accepted to universities and can actually afford to attend," said association president Gregory Cendana. |
| "With Google books, any student anywhere in the US will have the books in the greatest libraries of the world at their fingertips." | "With Google books, any student anywhere in the US will have the books in the greatest libraries of the world at their fingertips." |
| 'Unfair' | 'Unfair' |
| The most vocal critics of the deal have largely banded together to form the Open Book Alliance. It was set up by the non-profit Internet Archive, which has its own book-scanning project and has to date digitised 500,000 books. | The most vocal critics of the deal have largely banded together to form the Open Book Alliance. It was set up by the non-profit Internet Archive, which has its own book-scanning project and has to date digitised 500,000 books. |
| Amazon is one of the big names trying to kill the Google books deal | Amazon is one of the big names trying to kill the Google books deal |
| "Just as Gutenberg's invention of the printing press more than 700 years ago ushered in a new era of knowledge sharing, the mass digitisation of books promises to revolutionise how we read and discover books," said Peter Brantley of the alliance. | "Just as Gutenberg's invention of the printing press more than 700 years ago ushered in a new era of knowledge sharing, the mass digitisation of books promises to revolutionise how we read and discover books," said Peter Brantley of the alliance. |
| "But a digital library controlled by a single company and small group of publishers would inevitably lead to higher prices and subpar services for consumers, libraries, scholars and students." | "But a digital library controlled by a single company and small group of publishers would inevitably lead to higher prices and subpar services for consumers, libraries, scholars and students." |
| Technology giants Yahoo, Microsoft and Amazon are part of the coalition along with a number of libraries and writers and journalists groups. | Technology giants Yahoo, Microsoft and Amazon are part of the coalition along with a number of libraries and writers and journalists groups. |
| Amazon, which competes with Google by scanning books to sell through its electronic Kindle reader, filed its own statement against the deal this week. | Amazon, which competes with Google by scanning books to sell through its electronic Kindle reader, filed its own statement against the deal this week. |
| "It is unfair to authors, publishers and others whose works would be the subject of a compulsory licence for the life of the copyright in favour of Google and the newly created Book Rights Registry," it stated. | "It is unfair to authors, publishers and others whose works would be the subject of a compulsory licence for the life of the copyright in favour of Google and the newly created Book Rights Registry," it stated. |
| 'Fact, not fiction' | 'Fact, not fiction' |
| The settlement is being examined by the Department of Justice which is also deciding whether to oppose the agreement. | The settlement is being examined by the Department of Justice which is also deciding whether to oppose the agreement. |
| Meanwhile the Federal Trades Commission has told Google to develop a privacy policy to limit use of users' data. | Meanwhile the Federal Trades Commission has told Google to develop a privacy policy to limit use of users' data. |
| Critics are concerned about everything from privacy to pricing | Critics are concerned about everything from privacy to pricing |
| Google has responded by drawing up a new privacy policy covering its digital library, which to date includes 10 million books. | Google has responded by drawing up a new privacy policy covering its digital library, which to date includes 10 million books. |
| "We'll work to ensure that the privacy of online readers is fact, not fiction," said FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz. | "We'll work to ensure that the privacy of online readers is fact, not fiction," said FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz. |
| Many believe the issue of rights over out-of-print books would best be solved by legislation and not the courts. | Many believe the issue of rights over out-of-print books would best be solved by legislation and not the courts. |
| "It is never a good thing for private parties to make deals for the public good," said Martin Manley, the founder of Alibris.com, an online store which sells used, rare and out-of-print books. | "It is never a good thing for private parties to make deals for the public good," said Martin Manley, the founder of Alibris.com, an online store which sells used, rare and out-of-print books. |
| "The public good is meant to be solved by regulators who are somewhat accountable and by legislators who are wholly accountable," Mr Manley told BBC News. | "The public good is meant to be solved by regulators who are somewhat accountable and by legislators who are wholly accountable," Mr Manley told BBC News. |
| A final court hearing on the settlement is planned for 7 October. | A final court hearing on the settlement is planned for 7 October. |