Skip to main content

Supreme Court green-lights Google despite claim of “infringement on a massive scale”

supreme court google book scan bookstore 1315560 1280
https://pixabay.com/en/users/Vitaisy-2356142/
All scanning is a go. The Supreme Court rejected an appeal of a lower court ruling in favor of Google Books on Monday, meaning the Internet giant can continue scanning all published works, according to Reuters. The project will enable people to search all books for items of interest and help them find where to purchase the works.

According to Google, people will not able to read substantial portions of the books scanned for the project, however.

The original lawsuit described the Google project as “infringement on a massive scale to enhance [a company’s] own profitability.” Some writers viewed the entire concept as a threat as well; big names including Jim Bouton, Stephen Sondheim, and Margaret Atwood backed the Authors Guild appeal, claiming that Google’s scanning project would illegally deprive authors of income. Their efforts were to no avail, however, and a three-judge panel declined to hear the appeal in a unanimous ruling. The ruling found that the scanning “tests the boundaries of fair use,” but is allowed under the law.

Google has already scanned more than 20 million works, in some cases with publisher permission and in other cases not. In October 2015 the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York rejected an earlier appeal of a 2013 dismissal of the authors’ original class action lawsuit, which was filed in 2005. Google Books was launched in 2004.

Google has claimed all along that Google Books would boost book sales by helping readers find books relevant to their interests. Readers searching for specific titles could also see related titles and that in turn, could prompt more sales. The authors haven’t bought that argument and believe Google Books will decrease their revenue.

If the Authors Guild class action had been successful, Google’s potential financial liability could have been in the billions of dollars.

You can try Google Books yourself at www.books.google.com. I just tried two searches. I searched for “double doodles,” because we live with one, a Goldendoodle/Labradoodle cross. The first listing I found on Google Books, Golden Doodle, let me see the front and back cover, the contents of the first 12 pages, and a page of the book index. When I searched for “Karmann Ghia,” because I owned one for 9 years, a lot of books were displayed. Apparently one published in 1994 had not been scanned yet, but a 2006 book titled Karmann Ghia Coupe & Cabriolet had been scanned and I was able to read the first 28 pages.

It appears as if the amount you can see and read in the books scanned in Google Books isn’t always the same, but it’s certainly enough to let you get a good sense of the book– perhaps as much as you might scan while standing in a bookstore, before deciding whether or not to purchase it.

Bruce Brown
Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…
How to change your language in Google Chrome on desktop
Chrome OS

Google Chrome supports a wide range of languages. While it'll default to English in most cases, there's nothing stopping you from changing its settings and displaying pages in Spanish, French, or dozens of other languages.

Changing your default language in Chrome takes only a few seconds, and the technique used is the same across Windows and Mac. Aside from changing your language, note that Chrome now gives you the option to automatically translate pages written in another language – making it easy to read content from around the globe.

Read more
23 of the best Netflix hacks, tips, and tricks
The Netflix home screen.

Netflix is one of the most popular streaming platforms for all things movies and TV shows. Home to an immense library of titles, the Netflix archive is constantly changing and evolving, and so are the many ways you can use your Netflix account. 

For instance, did you know you can access region-locked Netflix shows and flicks by using a VPN? Or that you can disable that pesky Autoplay feature? There are tons of Netflix hacks, tips, and tricks out there, so we’ve gone ahead and rounded up all of our favorites! 
Expand your streaming with a VPN

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more