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

Wed Jun 27 11:58:27 UTC 2012

Hi,

@dingodog: Can you provide me with a list of Books for which Google is 
doing this nonsense? I could try to play that via the legal dept. of 
Google Germany where I know some people. Sometimes this works.

Best
John

On 27.06.2012 12:34, dingodog at fastmail.fm wrote:
> 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.