Showing posts with label La Martiniere publishing group. Show all posts
Showing posts with label La Martiniere publishing group. Show all posts

Sunday, December 20, 2009

France court rules Google book search violates copyright laws; Jurist, 12/18/09

Jaclyn Belczyk, Jurist; France court rules Google book search violates copyright laws:

"A French court ruled Friday that Google [corporate website] violated French copyright law through its book-scanning initiative [Google Books website]. The Parisian court fined Google €300,000 euros (USD $430,000) for digitizing books and making excerpts available on the web. The challenge was brought in 2006 by French publishing group La Martiniere, along with the French publisher's union Syndicat National de l'Edition (SNE) and the writers' society Societe des Gens de Lettres (SDGL) [websites, in French]. The head of the SNE expressed satisfaction [BBC report] with the verdict. Also this week, a Chinese court agreed to hear [FT report] a challenge to Google's digital books project.

While Friday's ruling is the first time a court has condemned Google's book scanning initiative, the company has also faced legal challenges in the US. Last year, Google agreed to settle [JURIST report] two copyright infringement lawsuits."

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/12/france-court-rules-google-book-search.php

Friday, December 18, 2009

Google Loses in French Copyright Case; New York Times, 12/18/09

Matthew Saltmarsh, New York Times; Google Loses in French Copyright Case:

"A French court ruled on Friday that Google infringed copyrights by digitizing books and putting extracts online without authorization, dealing a setback to its embattled book project.

The court in Paris ruled against Google after a publishing group, La Martinière, backed by publishers and authors, argued that the industry was being exploited by Google’s Book Search program, which was started in 2005.

The court ordered Google to pay over 300,000 euros, or $430,000, in damages and interest and to stop digital reproduction of the material. The company was also ordered to pay 10,000 euros a day in fines until it removed extracts of some French books from its online database.

Google said it believed that it had complied with French copyright law and that it planned to appeal the decision.

“We believe that displaying a limited number of short extracts from books complies with copyright legislation both in France and the U.S. — and improves access to books,” said Philippe Colombet, who is responsible for Google’s books partnership in France.

Mr. Colombet said he did not know whether the company would immediately remove the excerpts or pay the fine; Google’s lawyers were still examining the ruling. He also said there would be no impact on Google’s settlement with publishers and authors in the United States, an agreement that would allow the company the right to digitize, catalog and sell millions of books online that are under copyright protection."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/19/technology/companies/19google.html?_r=1&hpw

Google Book Search violates French copyright law; Ars Technica, 12/18/09

Nate Anderson, Ars Technica; Google Book Search violates French copyright law:

Google owes €300,000 to a French publishing group after a court found the search and advertising giant liable for scanning La Martinière's books for use in Google Book Search without permission.

"Google's preferred way of indexing information—doing it without permission, relying on fair use or fair dealing laws—has run into yet another spot of trouble in Western Europe. A French court has just ruled that the advertising giant must pay €300,000 in damages to a French publishing group for scanning, indexing, and displaying snippets of its work as part of Google Book Search."

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/12/google-book-search-violates-french-copyright-law.ars

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Nicolas Sarkozy fights Google over classic books; Telegraph, 12/14/09

Henry Samuel, Telegraph; Nicolas Sarkozy fights Google over classic books:

Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to keep Google's hands off France's classic books and national treasures by spending £680 million making them available on the internet.

"The French president made the announcement amid a row between the internet giant and publishers, who claim Google has breached their copyright by scanning books for its online library Google Books.

Mr Sarkozy said the sum would go towards the "digitisation of the content of our museums, our libraries and our cinematographic heritage".

He added: "There is no question of letting this heritage go."

The package was part of his government's "grand loan" – a £31 billion spending spree he detailed on Monday aimed at boosting France's economic growth and competitiveness.

The pledge followed Mr Sarkozy's warning last week that he would not allow Google to carry out a massive literary land grab on French and other European literature.

"We are not going to be stripped of our heritage for the benefit of a big company, no matter how friendly, big or American it is," he said.

"We are not going to be deprived of what generations and generations have produced in the French language just because we weren't capable of funding our own digitisation project."

Jean-Noël Jeanneney, a former chief of the national library recently warned recently that the French Revolution risked being given an "Anglo-Saxon" slant if Google prevailed – one in which "valiant British aristocrats triumphed over bloodthirsty Jacobins and the guillotine blotted out the rights of man."

Google, based in California, recently unveiled plans recently to scan books and make them digitally searchable online. It argues almost all the books digitised are in the public domain and that it will pay copyright on any still in private hands.

The Paris publishing group, La Martinière, took Google to court after it discovered the firm had scanned and archived books on which La Martinière holds the copyright. A ruling is expected on Friday. Seuil has also sued Google for copyright breach.

Marissa Maya, Google's number three last week last week denied stealing French heritage. "I think our service is very poorly understood," she said.

"The advantage of this work is precisely to conserve literature and allow people to access it. Right now we're simply the most advanced company in this area." In his speech at the Elysée yesterday, Mr Sarkozy said that public groups like Google could be part of the venture but the state would be very much in charge.

The money is expected to go to boosting Gallica, France's own book-scanning project, which is linked to Europeana, the EU's digital library."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/6811462/Sarkozy-fights-Google-over-classic-books.html