[pd-discuss] googlebooks: the strange case of public domain books left in snippet view (for years and ignoring users complaints)

Wed Jun 27 08:03:11 UTC 2012

Hi,

You are absolutely right stating that these books should be made freely available for all. However, this is not mandatory. 

We wouldn't demand the van Gogh museum to give us free access to all van Gogh's works, even those in the archives, just because their public domain. The public domain, as I see it, deals mainly with intellectual property, i.e. ownership of the underlying work or idea, not about productions (books or paintings) of that idea. 

Although I completely agree that it would be good for Google Books to open up their collection more to their users, I do not agree that they must do it.

Instead of asking Google to open up their collection, create your own public domain books repository:

Make a DIY Bookscanner, a realing maturing field of open hardware http://www.diybookscanner.org/
Obtain a copy of the work
Scan the book
Publish on Project Gutenberg

You would of course argue that the book that you need is not available in your region, but they same probably holds for a lot of books that are available in your region that other people would like to read. We should help each other here.

Cheers,

Maarten

Kennisland | Knowledgeland

t +31205756720 | m +31643053919 | s mzeinstra
www.kennisland.nl | www.knowledgeland.org

On Jun 27, 2012, at 1:36 , dingodog at fastmail.fm wrote:

> scanning public domain books it not equivalent to show then scanned
> books in google's mind
> 
> Googlebooks has scanned tons of PUBLIC DOMAIN BOOKS, but not all PUBLIC
> DOMAIN BOOKS are accessible
> 
> there are a tons of PUBLIC DOMAIN BOOKS that Goglebooks non only has
> left in snippet view, but that refuses to UNLOCK for full view (and they
> are in PUBLIC DOMAIN!!!)
> 
> I have a sad story to tell, about these public domain books left in
> snippet view:
> 
> since 2009 I'm complaining about a same set of PUBLIC DOMAIN BOOKS whose
> copyright expired since more than 10-20 years
> 
> I sent a mail every month, then every week, and all this during last
> three years to report the erroneous classification of public domain
> books as snippet view. Now I'm considering to send a mail every day, but
> I'm not confident about effects; I think Googlebooks will ignore my
> complaints, as it has ignored during these years
> 
> it seems, in fact, that Googlebooks has absolutely no will to unlock,
> even if user (as I have done) provides well documented biographical info
> and cites the laws regulating the status of book in different countries
> 
> People complained about public domain books left in snippet view and
> googlebooks user forum was full of these complaints with google
> employees not only unable to unlock (maybe google not provided this
> ability to employees, or it simply ignored requests), but seriously
> lacking in knowledge of googlebooks structure
> 
> and Googlebooks what has done? Closed googlebooks forum
> http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/books
> 
> In order, I think, to IGNORE BETTER the complaints about public domain
> books left in snippet view
> 
> "As of March 15, 2012 the Book search center of the Help Forum will be
> closed down. If you need help with Google Books search please visit our
> Help Center. In addition to that, we also have a newly available contact
> form for common requests."
> 
> Can Googlebooks be forced to examinate with accuracy the status of
> PUBLIC DOMAIN BOOKS LEFT IN SNIPPET VIEW? This scenario is
> unacceptable!!! Practically, now Googlebooks digitizes books that then
> can remain years and years in snippet view, even if they are in PUBLIC
> DOMAIN! 
> 
> look only this (for instance) I'm trying to get unlocked in full view
> since 2009!!!
> 
> http://books.google.it/books?id=W84OAAAAIAAJ
> 
> author (giovanni Federzoni), died in 1923
> - (birth:Bologna, 1849 - death: Roma, 1923)
> - http://certosa.cineca.it/chiostro/persone.php?ID=482366
> 
> so, his works are largely in public domain, since more than 70 year
> passed from his death (1923 + 70 = 1994 as copyright expiration date,
> following Italian laws in matter of copyright, and now we are in 2012!)
> -- 
> 
>  dingodog at fastmail.fm
> 
> -- 
> http://www.fastmail.fm - The professional email service
> 
> 
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