Siva Vaidhyanathan. (2005) The Googlization of everything and the future of copyright.

Summary

Vaidhyanathan explains the history of the Google Books project along with the legal ramifications and its relation to copyright law.

What I learned

The Google Books project and the ensuing legal battles could have a much wider effect than I had previously thought. This article highlighted many of the ways in which this project could make fundamental changes in copyright in this country, often not in a good way. As he mentions in the conclusion, this could have significant ripple effects in how information is shared on the internet generally, not just in relation to digitized print materials.

What I am taking away

Reading this article after the second Google Books settlement was rejected in court gives me the impression that, in the six years since publication of the article, more of the world is worried about this project than just Mr. Vaidhyanathan. It is also interesting to see that he was able to foresee many of the issues surrounding this project.

Discussion question

How could a similar project happen in a way that doesn't harm copyright but still provides access to materials?