The University of Michigan has created an FAQ on its book-scanning partnership with Google. Excerpt:
Q. 18: Is scanning a violation of copyright law?
A: No. The use Google makes is fully consistent with both the history of fair use under copyright law and all of the principles underlying copyright law itself. Copyright law strikes a balance between rewarding creators of intellectual property for their creations and facilitating public access to these works in ways that do not create a business harm. For books, this balance means the law needs to ensure authors write books, publishers sell them, libraries lend them, and people get to read them, either by purchasing them or borrowing them. The project is working to ensure that people can find books so that they can read them. By making books more discoverable, Google is enhancing the ability of authors and publishers to sell books to a global audience, well beyond the relatively small world of the traditional book market. [...]
Q. 22: How and where will the digitized books be available?
A: As always, we want to emphasize that we will only make materials available within the bounds of copyright law. Initially, the books will be accessible through Google by entering a normal Google search. Specifics on how the Library makes is own copy available are being developed, but we do know that the Library will make its own copy available in a variety of ways. [...]
Q. 27: Will the Library put the digitized materials online also?
A: Yes, we are planning for that eventuality.
Posted by
Peter Suber at 8/18/2005 12:32:00 PM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
