Open Book Alliance Response to Google Editions Retailer Access “Concession”

At today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Google Book Settlement, Google’s chief legal officer David Drummond made news with an announcement about Google Editions.

Below is the Open Book Alliance’s response to this announcement, from Peter Brantley, co-chair of the Alliance:

“Google’s announcement today that it would give retailers access to out of print books via Google Editions is much ado about nothing. 

First, Google has always planned on doing this. David Drummond himself, when asked if this was a major change, was quoted today saying, ‘It is and it isn’t. We always had this vision…’

 

Second, if Google Editions ever comes to fruition — and it’s pure vaporware right now — it doesn’t address the fundamental problems with the Settlement that so many have cited, including the fact that Google would still has sole control over access to the books, and shoppers would still be subjected to questionable and undefined privacy policies. 


Finally, the only way that this even becomes reality is on the condition that the settlement is allowed to proceed as it’s currently written. As we’ve seen today, there are serious questions about the legality of this settlement’s rewriting of copyright law.


 The bottom line is that this “concession” by Google is nothing more than another smokescreen, designed to misdirect and confuse an increasingly concerned industry.”