Re: Re: Amazon.com's "Search Inside the Book"

On Mon, 3 Nov 2003 Tilyou1[_at_]aol.com wrote:

> -> >> The key is whether authors are getting their fair share of that
> -> >> cash. In this case I think they are.
> ->
> -> On what do you base that conclusion, Keith?
>
> -The works aren't really available in a way that will
> -diminish sales. The works are searchable and more
> -likely to be seen by people looking for advice on a
> -topic. The works are more likely to be bought.
>
> You're talking "fair use" which is an AFFIRMATIVE defense that presumes there
> IS infringement.
>
> Why is that?
>
> Are you just speculating, or do you know that Amazon does not have a license
> to do what it is doing?
>
> Before Amazon can make the full text searchable, it must have the full text,
> which probably means scanning and OCR'ing and editing printed books -- in
> other words, making a reproduction the Copyright Act says that Amazon doesn't have
> a right to make (without a license, or fair use or something else to save
> it).

My understanding is that Amazon.com is doing this in collaboration with the publishers. See
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39117410,00.htm . So Amazon.com is almost certainly getting the full-text from the publishers. Scanning & OCR'ing the full-text of hundreds of thousands of books -- on a regular basis -- would hardly be efficient, and any editing would make it even less efficient.

> - Charles
>
> tilyou1[_at_]aol.com
> Charles B. K.
>
Received on Tue Nov 04 2003 - 02:50:12 GMT