Pulp friction
November 15, 2005
Online books | Pulp friction | Economist.com
This month, Google announced that it is moving forward with its plans to digitise books from several big libraries, despite two lawsuits filed in October by authors and publishers who claim that the firm’s actions violate their copyrights. (Google says its actions are legal under a “fair use” exception in the law.)
For whatever it’s worth, the “suits” have decided to press the copyright issue. Although critical mass is still in the future, some day many if not most books will be published online. As far as my own inclination is concerned, critical mass has already been reached. I am still buying bound books, but I hope to build an even larger digital library before I check out. Will I need a library in heaven? I suspect not, since heaven is no doubt not limited by space and time. I wonder what will replace my brain, my “thinker?” I wonder… (Now STOP that!)
Few dispute that the services will be a boon for the public and that books will eventually go digital, though the technology for portable display devices is still in its infancy. “As an industry we should embrace the opportunity that that will bring,” says Mr Newton. In time, once robust economic models can be worked out, they will benefit authors and publishers too. In 1987 Stewart Brand, a technology pundit, said, in the very next breath after his oft-quoted aphorism: “Information also wants to be expensive.” But no one seems to remember that bit.
Not surprisingly The Economist can’t quite decide whose side they are on. Mr. Newton has the right of it - an economic model will be worked out that benefits both authors and publishers, but it may take a few false starts to get there. If I were an author, I would be thinking hard about this.
Dave, which he wants no buggy whip business.
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