Google robbing from the poor and giving to the rich

It has been awhile since my last blog, I have been off work for a couple of weeks due to a slipped disc...yet again. I feel like an old man sometimes, once again heading for physio for what seems like the millionth time. Enough of my complaining I hear you say! A lot has happened since I have been away; we are close to signing a major contract in the digital education sector and one we are all excited about. There are a few book fairs coming up with efforts being directed towards that and in particular the first one the London Book Fair taking place in Mid April. Currently we are developing some promotional material in time.

The digital publishing world is heating up more and more everyday and with the iPad around the corner it isn’t going to get any cooler. Along with Apples iPad which is set to change how we read books, Google is set to change the accessibility of books. As I am typing this there is a project team known as Google Books Library Project copying and storing millions of out-of-copyright books to a digital library. What does this mean for us, the reader? Well, it would mean millions of books available all at the click of a mouse. This sounds great but what about the publishers and authors who have worked hard on their material only for it to be offered up free online. They will not see one cent of the income while Google makes money of advertising. Sounds like a rich man’s Robin Hood to me...stealing money from the poor to feed the rich!

However, this availability will depend on the outcome of a lawsuit by the Authors Guild and its ‘merry men’ accusing Google of “massive copyright infringement”. It will be interesting to see the outcome as I believe it will set a precedent for future digital mass copyright infringements. One thing is for sure, it may sound like a good idea to have all this material available, but who is going to write the books if our Authors don’t get rewarded for their efforts?