Google to launch platform for selling books online

[nathreee]

Full article is here.

"Although the scanning program has faced complaints from authors and publishers over copyright, Google Editions will cover only books submitted and approved by the copyright holders."

Although I posted a rather optimistic view on Fub's journal the other day, this news makes me a little anxious. The complaints from authors

Comments

[sneeuw_chan]

Personally, I think the whole notion of copyright was a big mistake from the get-go, has grown into a monstrosity from there on, and is now seriously interfering with the creativity of millions of people. And now most people have this silly idea in their heads that something incorporeal, even a mere idea, can belong to someone.

[nathreee]

Interesting... Are you trying to say that my story is not mine? That when people read my stories and they think "wow, this is nice, where did it come from?" my name should not be there?

People like to get some credit for the beautiful things they make. And they should have the right to decide what happens to the things they created, and to get some of the money, if not most of the money, that people pay to see/read/experience that creation. That's what copyright should have been, my right to decide who gets to copy what I make and how much compensation I get for that.

I agree that the copyright laws are unwieldly monstrosities and I understand that no one knows what to do with them anymore. But you see that just abolishing them would lead to all kinds of problems too.

[sneeuw_chan]

If people were not richly compensated for their artistic work, then only those who have a true passion for writing would have continued to work on their art.

In other words: most of that commercial crap that is now littering the bookstores, television and radio would be gone, and a handful of truly artistic people would be writing great stuff. And besides that, most people would be singing and storytelling themselves.

To put it short: people would be writing out of passion, and not out of greed.

So yes, I still think that copyright is a mistake. (And I also think that you should consider the possibility that somebody who does not agree with you has actually thought through their position, instead of trying to patronize them.)

I pay for the work a bike repairman does because he actually does work for me. He repairs my bike. Had I done it myself it would have taken me time and effort (probably more because he knows his job).

Perhaps you should read up on the history of copyright law.