Blog

The Friday Forum: Digitizing Books and the Google Book Search Settlement

The potential for a global digital library is increasingly viewed as one of the most exciting opportunities of the Internet age.  Countries are working to digitize their works (I wrote four years ago about the possibility of Canada doing so) and the private sector has been active as well.  By far the best known – and most contentious – initiative is the Google Book Search initiative.  Working with university libraries around the world, Google has been digitizing millions of books.  The Google Book Search initiative led to a pair of U.S. lawsuits over whether the plan qualified as fair use, which in turn led to a settlement with implications for authors around the world.

This week's Friday Forum takes a look at the digitizing issue with particular focus on Google Book Search.  It starts with Brewster Kahle of the Internet Archive and his vision for building a free digital library.  The talked was delivered at the EG Conference in 2007.

Read more ›

May 22, 2009 7 comments News

One Thousand Connections Per Day

AP reports that French Culture Minister anticipates cutting off access for one thousand people per day once the three strikes and you're out system takes effect.

Read more ›

May 22, 2009 5 comments News

Doctorow on Copyright, Critics, and Fans

I'm late with this, but Cory Doctorow recently had a stellar piece in the Guardian on how copyright law protects critics, but not fans.

Read more ›

May 22, 2009 Comments are Disabled News

CAIP Calls on CRTC To Reverse Bell Throttling Decision

The Canadian Association of Internet Providers has filed an application with the CRTC that calls on the Commission to rescind its November 2008 Bell throttling decision.  The application alleges multiple errors of fact and law in the decision and points specifically to the CRTC's lack of a full understanding of the issues raised in the proceeding.  CAIP argues that the CRTC specifically launched the larger net neutrality proceeding this summer in order to gain that fuller understanding, but argues that:

A broader proceeding in order to understand the complex issues raised in the CAIP application is a perfectly acceptable and responsible means of developing a thoughtful policy approach and decision on network management.  What is entirely unfair and unacceptable, however, is the fact that the Commission rendered Decision 2008-108 without the benefit of a comprehensive understanding of the factual, legal and policy issues at play.  In particular, if the Commission did not believe that it had an adequate evidentiary record or did not have a full understanding of the factual and legal issues raised by Bell's throttling of wholesale GAS services to be able to determine in an unqualified and final manner the issues raised in the CAIP proceeding, then it was procedurally unfair for the Commission to have rendered a decision on CAIP's application.

Moreover, CAIP highlights a concern raised by many in the net neutrality world – that the CRTC has already decided many of the bigger issues even before the July hearings begin.  CAIP notes that:

Read more ›

May 21, 2009 7 comments News

Canada Working To Kill Negotiations on Medical R&D Treaty

Jamie Love reports from Geneva that Canada is working together with the U.S., E.U., and Norway to kill a proposal to begin negotiations on a Medical Research & Development Treaty that enjoys support from a cross-section of the developing world.  The negotiations are taking place this week in Geneva at […]

Read more ›

May 21, 2009 2 comments News