Google v Authors Guild: a victory for readers' right to choose

A Manhattan court case about digitisation rights has brought books and the web a step closer togetherOn 14 November, after eight years of wrangling, Judge Denny Chin of the Manhattan district court finally ruled in the case of Google versus the Authors Guild. At issue was Google's scanning and digitisation of more than 20m books from libraries across the world, but at the heart of the case was question of what constitutes fair use in the age of the internet.For the Authors Guild, it was unquestioningly a violation of publishers' and authors' rights to copy their work wholesale and make "snippets" of it available online. For Google, and for many scholars and librarians who petitioned on its behalf, the indexing of those works is transformative, and adds to, rather than reduces, their value. After much deliberation, the courts have come to agree with the latter – it is, after all, what search engines have been doing to the web since it originated.There is a point at which we come to assume that a text is first and foremost digital. We've already passed that point for much of the media around us, understanding that even the letters we receive in the post are printed from digital "originals". Newspapers currently inhabit a mid-point: we're still unsure whether the printed or the website edition is the "true" version.That point is fast approaching for the book, and we are choosing the form that it will take. Essentially, the book is becoming more like the web, opened up to... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #search engines #fast approaching #long term

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Google v Authors Guild: a victory for readers' right to choose'


Leading Christian Authors Look to Little Readers

Christian-living megaselling authors, renowned Bible scholars, Christian fiction stars, and more are eager to open the doors to faith for little ones with new books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #christian fiction


Authors Guild Issues Contract Clause Changes to Account for AI

As part of its campaign to protect its members from the rise of large language models and other artificial intelligence tools, the Authors Guild has released four new model contract clauses concerning the technology. Earlier, the Guild released a survey of members that found that 69% of those... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors guild


Authors Guild Meets with Legislators Over Generative AI Concerns

The Guild led a coalition of creative groups who spent a week lobbying lawmakers for legal guardrails against generative artificial intelligence programs and educating them on potential harms posed by such programs on literary and creative industries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #creative industries


I believed readers only wanted trauma stories from writers of colour. Then I became an author | Zoya Patel

For so long, it seemed that readers were only interested in the experiences of people like me if we were traumatised, not triumphant – and I internalised this as an indisputable factGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailI can’t pinpoint exactly when I started imagining myself in the stories... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-18 19:00:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #weekend culture #young age #cultural diversity #pop culture #hachette


Choosing Words Carefully: PW Talks to Bryan A. Garner, Author of 'Garner’s Modern English Usage'

PW caught up with the famous lexicographer to talk about the recently published Fifth Edition of his essential guide—and his lifelong fascination with the English language. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pw caught #recently published #english language


Authors Guild Says Alleged 'Predatory' Press Has Settled Suit Over Rights, Unpaid Royatlies

Filed on January 6, the complaint claimed that Authors’ Place Press and its owner, Tony Ferraro, had failed to fulfill their contractual obligations and to pay or properly account for royalties. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors guild #place press #contractual obligations #properly account


Why AI audiobook narrators could win over some authors and readers, despite the vocal bumps

Apple and Google’s AI turn in a booming market may sound less than human and raise the ire of voiceover actors, but it has cost benefits For the first few seconds, the narrator of Kristen Ethridge’s new romance audiobook, Shelter from the Storm, sounds like a human being. The voice is light and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-05 06:41:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #audiobook narrator #voiceover actors #audiobook


Authors Guild Urges New York Governor to Sign Freelance Isn’t Free Act into Law

The bill is a crucial step to protect freelancers based in New York and hired by New York-based companies from wage theft, said Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger in a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #free act #wage theft #authors guild


Authors Guild Applauds Arrest, Indictment of Major E-Book Pirates

Two Russian nationals are now facing criminal charges in the U.S. for their role in running Z-Library, one of the world's most notorious e-book pirate sites before its domains were seized by U.S. officials earlier this fall. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #russian nationals #e-book


Penguin Random House, Authors Guild on Book Bannings

As book-bannings sweep the United States, two campaigns from the industry demonstrate different styles and tones of response. The post Penguin Random House, Authors Guild on Book Bannings appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-05-06 00:17:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book bannings #authors guild


Want to help stop book bans? The Authors Guild has tools for you.

If you’ve been paying attention to local news in the past year, you’ve likely noticed the concerning wave of book bans sweeping the nation. Books by authors of color; books that acknowledge historical atrocities; books featuring LGBTQ+ characters; sex education books for teens; all are under... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-02-09 19:49:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #paying attention #local news #authors guild


Authors Guild Fights School Book Bans

The Authors Guild has launched a National Letter Writing campaign, asking its 11,000 members and supporters to send emails and letters to school boards, lawmakers, and newspapers arguing that banning books harms students. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #school boards #authors guild


How Four Bestselling Authors Connected with Readers, Helped Indie Booksellers, and Beat the Pandemic

What launched as a sort of support group in the early days of Covid-19, Friends & Fiction celebrated its 100th episode on November 24. PW caught up with show's creators and hosts, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Patti Callahan Henry, to talk about the remarkable... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-30 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #support group #early days #pw caught #kristin harmel


Authors Guild doubles down on support of antitrust suit against publisher mega-merger

The Authors Guild likes what it sees in the federal antitrust suit aiming to block the $2 billion merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-11-05 22:15:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #antitrust suit #simon schuster #penguin random house #authors guild


Authors Guild Diversity Webinar Asks: Can Book Publishing Change?

The Authors Guild's virtual panel "Centering Black Voices: Short-Term Progress or Sustainable Change?," held on July 27, offered a wide-ranging examination of the history and potential of the book industry’s continuing struggle to address diversity. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-07-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors guild #sustainable change #book industry #address diversity #book publishing


The Authors Guild Releases Its Model Translation Contract, a First

Points of ideal translation contracts–including cover credit for a translator's work–are included in the Guild's newly released model. The post The Authors Guild Releases Its Model Translation Contract, a First appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-04-20 03:20:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors guild


Authors Guild, HMH Partner to Publish Benefit Collaborative Novel

The Authors Guild Foundation has reached a deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to publish a collaborative novel edited by the acclaimed novelist Margaret Atwood that will feature the writing of more than a dozen notable authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #houghton mifflin harcourt #authors guild


Authors Guild calls for DoJ to block Bertelsmann's S&S purchase

The Authors Guild and other writers' groups in the US have written a letter to the Department of Justice to block Bertelsmann's takeover of Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-01 03:48:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ss purchase #simon schuster #authors guild


Authors Guild urges DOJ to stop Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House merger

Several organizations sent a letter to the Department of Justice on Friday urging it to stop Penguin Random House from purchasing Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-01-29 22:12:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin random house


Authors Guild demands changes to Audible's returns policy

US writers' body The Authors Guild has sent an open letter to Audible, demanding the company make changes to its policy on returns. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-24 08:16:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #returns policy #open letter #authors guild