Google, Pub's Dance Plays On

The publishing industry's concerns about Google's library scanning program are beginning to be heard by the giant company. Although the Association of American University Presses has not received a reply to its letter to Google expressing its copyright concerns over Google Library, the Association of American Publishers was informed by Google that it was willing to meet with the AAP's board to address copyright issues raised in its letter to Google. Allan Adler, v-p of legal and governmental affairs at the AAP, said no date set has yet been set for the meeting, and it was not clear who will be attending from Google.

Google Library was one of the major issues at the AAUP's annual meeting held earlier this month in Philadelphia. In a session on "online opportunities," moderator Phil Pochoda, editorial director of the University of Michigan Press, called the AAUP's letter to Google "gratuitously incendiary." (The University of Michigan library is one of the five supplying their collections to Google for the program.). During the panel discussion, Google's Tom Turvey held to the company's well-established position that the display of "snippets" falls within the concept of fair use, a stance that satisfied few in the audience. Turvey also caused some grumbling when asked if Google has plans for other uses of the copyrighted digitized content it receives from libraries; he replied, "I don't think anybody at Google ever rules anything out."