You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has hit out at critics of the Google Settlement, and its plan to digitise the world's published content. Writing in the New York Times, Brin said he wanted to "dispel some myths" surrounding the project, and to "share why I am proud of this undertaking".
Taking on one of the key objections that the Settlement would grant Google "a form of compulsory license because it applies to all members of the class who do not opt out by a certain date", Brin said that the reality was that rights holders could at any time set pricing and access rights for their works or withdraw them from Google Books altogether.
And he also sought to counter the argument that the deal would limit competition, saying "nothing in this agreement precludes any other company or organisation from pursuing their own similar effort". He conceded that new entrants would "not immediately have the same rights to orphan works" at Google gains from the deal, but added that the agreement would act as "a beacon of compromise in case of a similar lawsuit, and it will serve as a precedent for orphan works legislation, which Google has always supported and will continue to support".
Brin stated: "This agreement aims to make millions of out-of-print but in-copyright books available either for a fee or for free with ad support, with the majority of the revenue flowing back to the rights holders, be they authors or publishers." He added: "Many companies, libraries and organizations will play a role in saving and making available the works of the 20th century. Together, authors, publishers and Google are taking just one step toward this goal, but it’s an important step. Let’s not miss this opportunity."
Noticeably, in the 1,300 word article Brin uses the word copyright once.