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

Wed Jun 27 10:34:15 UTC 2012

I would not ask to googlebooks to unlock PUBLIC DOMAIN BOOKS if it had
not a link at bottom of every digitized book

http://books.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=180577&hl=en&url=http://books.google.en/books?id=W84OAAAAIAAJ&hl=en&v=W84OAAAAIAAJ&is=atb

with following options to report problems:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Which of the following best describes the issue you'd like to report?

    * An error in the display of book pages
    * An error in the written description or "About this Book" page
    * This book is in the public domain and should be displayed in Full
    View
    * Report illegal or offensive content
    * File a notice of infringement (Digital Millennium Copyright Act)
    * My issue is not listed above
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

note the: * This book is in the public domain and should be displayed in
Full View*

so, googlebooks is joking their users? Why it ignores complaints? This
behavior is very disrespectful for a company saying in its motto: *don't
be evil...* 

Hathitrust replies to complaints in a couple of days and if the book
reported is in public domain, and was wrongly classified as *limited
preview* in a couple of days the book is unlocked for full view. So,
there is something strange with google and public domain books, I'm
reporting the same book as in public domain (it effectively is in public
domain since 1994), since 2009!!!

Today there is too many difference between legal protection of
copyrighted works and protection of public domain works

copyright system is pumped by money, while public domain not

I think Google should be sued for locking for years public domain books
ignoring users complaints for years (no answers of any kind, no replies) 

on the other hand, unlocking public domain books and read users
complaints about public domain works erroneously settled in snippet
view, would be convenient also for google!

it could:

- show more ads based on content of books, once unlocked
- allow reprints trough qoop or expressobookmachine (partnered with
google) - http://net.ondemandbooks.com/ and gain, as far I know, a
percentage on sells

just adding to this url http://net.ondemandbooks.com/ the identifier of
google scanned book in public domain, you are able to have an hardcopy
of this book

like http://net.ondemandbooks.com/google/uaQ5AAAAcAAJ

On Wed, Jun 27, 2012, at 10:03 AM, Maarten Zeinstra wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> You are absolutely right stating that these books should be made freely
> available for all. However, this is not mandatory. 
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