Anthony schreef:
Don't take my word for it. Read up on what
Brewster Kahle from
Internet Archive had to say about Google Book Search, or find out more
about the Open Content Alliance he co-founded largely to respond to
it. "They don't want the books to appear in anyone else's search
engine but their own, which is a little peculiar for a company that
says its mission is to make information universally accessible," Kahle
said.
"Google, for instance, is digitizing some great libraries. But their
contracts (which were actually secret contracts with libraries – which
is bizarre, but anyway, they were secret until they got sued out of
them by some governments) are under such restrictions that they're
pretty useless... the copies that go back to the libraries. Pretty
much Google is trying to set themselves up as the only place to get to
these materials; the only library; the only access. The idea of having
only one company control the library of human knowledge is a
nightmare. I mean this is 1984 – a book about how bad the world would
be if this really came about, if a few governments' control and
corporations' control on information goes too far."
I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to choose sides on this one, and I'm
going with Kahle, not with Google.
I have read enough to learn why Google is getting the opposition to its
program. I agree with that opposition. However, you will also have read
that Bruster Kahle acknowledges that his project is very much a reaction
to the Google project. The opposition that exists is not unlikely to
have Google to reconsider its position. When we consider Google a
friend, we can as a friend discuss these issues. When we consider Google
an enemy, we will not even try to engage in a conversation.
I object to see enemies everywhere, I prefer to see friends that have a
different outlook, friends that may be convinced to consider an other
approach. I think this approach is more productive.
While I understand that we must find accomodation with Google, it would
be naive to give them our complete trust. We don't know if their deals
with the libraries are exclusive ones that would prevent anyone else
from doing the same thing. For now, database protection laws are
limited to Eueope, but if they were to be adopted in the United States
they would be give a tremendous advantage to Google which could then
develop a user pay system for which only they are capable of providing
convenient access. The major future problems will not be with the
publishers who are currently in court with Google. Control of the old
material whose copyright has already expired will make for a far more
important battle. For now I don't think we have the funding or
organization to challenge them, certainly not by ourselves. Whether
that level of collaboration can coallesce among a wide range of open
access supporters is unclear.
Ec