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Deutsch: EC-Anhörung zu Googles Buch-Deal
The European Commission (EC) will hold a hearing on 7 September 2009 to evaluate Google's proposed deal with U.S. publishers and authors granting Google the right to digitize and publish out of print copyrighted books and its possible impact upon copyright issues.
Spokesman Oliver Drewes said EU officials wanted to get the opinion of European publishers, authors and consumers in order to be able to "draw provisional conclusions on the Google Inc.'s book-scanning settlement." The EU launched a formal inquiry in the matter after the German delegation, supported by UK and France, submitted an information note in May 2009, asking for action against Google's online library project.
In the US, Google reached an agreement in October 2008 with the Authors Guild and the Association of American publishers in which Google accepted to pay about 88 million euro to create a Book Rights Registry, where authors and publishers can register works. Google would get rights in return for a share of any revenues collected by selling access to online books.
The agreement is criticized for giving Google preferential rights especially in case of the "orphan works" (books for which the copyright owners cannot be identified). The regulators might also tackle the issue of the "most-favoured nation" clause guaranteeing Google terms that are at least as good as those offered to other Internet companies in future.
Google executives argue that the company will have no unfair advantages while providing increased access to books. In support of their cause, the company will probably bring as argument Viviane Reding's position who, earlier this month, stated that EU needed to urgently standardize its copyright laws to encourage book digitization.
Another argument that might be in Google's favour is that this is the only initiative to scan millions of books and make them available on the Internet. Also, Google's leading lawyer David Drummond said that Google would be open to changing the terms of the deal if it received a "compelling argument" from regulators.
The U.S. Justice Department is also looking now into this settlement.
EU sets hearing over Google books deal (20.07.2009)
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE56J3JX20090720
Google book deal faces growing scrutiny (11.07.2009)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/81bf17c0-5557-11de-b5d4-00144feabdc0.html
EU seeks opinions on Google Books (20.07.2009)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10290954-93.html?FORM=ZZNR4
EU asks publishers for feedback on Google Books (20.07.2009)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/EU-asks-publishers-for-apf-3599301835.ht...
EDRi-gram: EU will examine Google Books project (3.06.2009)
http://www.edri.org/edri-gram/number7.11/google-books-ec