Google vs. Authors
October 26th, 2011
The $217 billion dollar and most widely used search engine on the planet is being sued by the Author’s Guild for scanning their books and providing 15 million of them online to anybody with internet access. The Author’s Guild and its counterparts claim that Google and multiple other universities in the United States are infringing their rights. Google Books has caused controversy upon first being created and the conflict between the two sides is yet to be resolved. The groups have until July 2012 to create an agreement that satisfies the court.
Personally I feel that Google is misusing their power and does not have the right to scan the works of others without permission. It is perfectly reasonable if the publishers or owners are no longer living, but those that are still alive should be given the right to be informed about the use of their material. Google made a an irrational argument saying that the authors can pick out which publications should be taken out. This is like saying I have the right to go into someone’s room, steal one thing, and wait for them to ask for it back– complete nonsense.