9. Februar 2007

Browse Leads To Buy

Im New Yorker ist ein langer, aber sehr interessanter Artikel zum Thema Google Book Search erschienen. Über Googles Absichten Bücher zu scannen ist schon viel gesagt worden, dennoch enthält der Artikel einige interessante Punkte.

Google, in an effort to put the lawsuits behind it, may agree to pay the plaintiffs more than a court would require; but, by doing so, the company would discourage potential competitors. To put it another way, being taken to court and charged with copyright infringement on a large scale might be the best thing that ever happens to Google’s foray into the printed word.

Na ja, ich bin ein großer Google Fanboy - aber dennoch gebe ich zu, dass etwas Konkurrenz nie schaden kann. Nur, wer will hier Google die Stirn bieten?

Google’s advantage may well be cemented if the company settles its lawsuits with the publishers and authors. “If Google says to the publishers, ‘We’ll pay,’ that means that everyone else who wants to get into this business will have to say, ‘We’ll pay,’ ” Lessig said. “The publishers will get more than the law entitles them to, because Google needs to get this case behind it. And the settlement will create a huge barrier for any new entrants in this field.”