Showing posts with label unfairness of opt out option. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unfairness of opt out option. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

National Writers Union Opposes Google Book Settlement; Wired.com's Epicenter, 8/13/09

Ryan Singel via Wired.com's Epicenter; National Writers Union Opposes Google Book Settlement:

"Add yet another voice to the chorus of protests over a proposed settlement of a class-action copyright suit that clears Google to transform the world’s dusty library tomes into the bookstore and online library of the future.

This time, the National Writers Union — which represents some 1,500 freelance writers — described a proposed deal as “grossly unfair to writers.”...

But Google should not have digitized books without authors’ permission, said Larry Goldbetter, the president of the National Writers Union, which operates as a local of the United Auto Workers. Google argues such scanning is covered by the Fair Use provision of copyright law, which allows for transformative and partial uses of copyright material.

“[W]riters whose copyrights were violated might receive a check for between $60 and $300 for each book and $15 per article,” he added. “Compared to the number and seriousness of the violations, the amount being offered by Google to each writer is ridiculously low.”"

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/08/national-writers-union-opposes-google-book-settlement/