As the date for the beginning of the Google Book Search web application lawsuit draws near, many have continued to voice concerns about the legal aspects of the project, including a University professor.
According to Google spokesperson Jennifer Parson, Google Book Search is an attempt by Google "to make all of the world's books discoverable online."
The program, Parson noted, is intended to help readers find the book they are looking for online and then direct them to a library or bookseller for the entire text.
Google is gathering this content by digitizing the books and other works available in certain university libraries, including at the University.
According to Media Studies Prof. Siva Vaidhyanathan, however, Google Book Search's efforts to make entire books available online has the potential to violate copyrights. Vaidhyanathan said the Authors Guild and The American Association of Publishers have already filed a lawsuit against Google in regards to alleged copyright violations, which is scheduled to go to court in 2008. He added he believes this should be sufficient time to for both groups to settle.
Vaidhyanathan said he believes Google is stretching the fair-use doctrine of copyright law in a "radical revision of fair use." This policy was implemented by Congress in the 1970s to allow for the use of copyrighted works for the public good, such as in academic settings.
Parson explained that Google "designed this project to bring as much value as possible to readers and copyright holders alike."
While the typical Google Books user will only sees a snippet of a requested book, the complete text will still be held in a Google database, Parson said.
Although this database is not public, some organizations believe the database is still in violation of copyright laws.
Parson said Google is hoping to defend its right to digitize books for use by the public, adding that any publisher or copyright holder can opt out of Google Book Search.
Instead of contracting with Google Books, Vaidhyanathan said universities should have gone "above and beyond fair use" by forming a consortium with other universities and joining together to lobby for a new right allowing them to share books with the aid of public money.
"Libraries are giving away all of their riches," Vaidhyanathan said.
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