October
4, 2005
Author's Guild
Sues Google Over Print Library
Citing massive copyright
infringement at the expense of the rights of individual writers, the
Author's Guild and two writers filed a class action suit in federal
court against Google over its unauthorized scanning and copying of books
through its Google Print Library program. "This is a plain and brazen
violation of copyright law," said Nick Taylor, president of the Author's
Guild. "It's not up to Google or anyone other than the authors, the
rightful owners of these copyrights, to decide whether and how their
works will be copied." The complaint seeks damages and an injunction
to halt further infringements.
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Yahoo to Create
Copyright Friendly Searchable Library
Search engine Yahoo
has partnered with several businesses and organizations, including the
Internet Archive, the University of California and Adobe Systems, Inc.,
to form Open Content Alliance (http://opencontentalliance.org),
a group focused on providing open access to content while respecting
the rights of copyright holders. Unlike a similar plan by Google, Yahoo's
library will only scan copyrighted works with the express permission
of the copyright holder. In addition to copyrighted works, the library
will include works in the public domain. Initial content will be provided
by the founding members of OCA, which include Yahoo! Inc., the Internet
Archive, Adobe Systems, Inc., the University of California, the University
of Toronto, the National Archives (UK), O'Reilly Media, Inc., HP Labs,
Prelinger Archives and the European Archive.
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Contest for Best
Value Inquiry Text
The international
publisher VIBS-Editions Rodopi has issued a call for the best unpublished
manuscript in the area of value inquiry. The winning entry will be awarded
$1,000. The closing date for the competition is October 1, 2006. VIBS
current officers and associate editors are not eligible. The Value Inquiry
Book Series is an international scholarly program founded in 1992, that
publishes philosophical works in all areas of value inquiry, with 33
special series representing the interests of philosophers in 28 countries
of the world. For more information visit the VIBS-Rodopi page at http://www.pragmatism.org/vibs.
Please send submissions as e-mail attachment to: Professor Ken Bryson
Ph.D., Editor. Prizes and Awards, VIBS, ken_bryson@capebretonu.ca
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Guest Columnist:
Stan Gibilisco
The Tyrannosaurus in the Tea Room
Science writer Stan
Gibilisco shares his thoughts about Google's Library Print Project in
a column called "Tyrannosaurus in the Tea Room". Read Gibilisco's column
in the Members Only Comment
& Advice section here.
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Hull asks textbook
buyer to stop purchase, resale of instructors' copies
TAA Executive Director
Richard T. Hull asked textbook buyer Tom Klebine of Textbookreusers
to stop the companies' practice of purchasing and reselling instructors'
copies of textbooks in an e-mail to the company on September 28. Hull
told Klebine that his reselling of such copies "undermines the integrity
of the examination process and produces fake positive results." He asked
for a letter from the company saying that it will no longer purchase
and resell instructors' copies of textbooks. Hull also asked them to
stop purchasing and reselling desk copies. The following is Hull's entire
letter to Klebine:
Tom Klebine
Textbook Buyer
Textbookreusers
2800 Pringle Road
Suite 100
Salem, Oregon 97302
September 28, 2005
Dear Mr Klebine:
I'm disturbed that
you would buy instructors' copies and resell them to students. Instructors'
copies are intended for use by instructors only because they often contain
sample examinations and answers. Instructors who use them rely on the
confidentiality that restricted access provides. Your reselling such
copies undermines the integrity of the examination process and produces
false positive results.
Please desist from
this practice. We would like a letter from your organization asserting
that it will no longer purchase and resell instructor's copies.
In addition, desk
copies, unless actually purchased by the instructor, are also not intended
for resale by the publisher. Your purchase and resale of these copies
clearly undermines the contractual relationship between publisher and
author, in that it puts into circulation copies that have not earned
either publisher or author their accustomed profits and royalties. Instructors
that sell complimentary desk copies are violating the terms of their
receipt of those copies, and you, in purchasing and reselling them,
abet that violation.
Please desist from
this practice as well. If you continue to purchase texts from professors,
require them to show a receipt indicating that they purchased the text,
at least at a nominal rate, from the publisher, or a statement from
the publisher that the instructor is free to sell the desk copy. We
would also like a letter from your organization asserting that it will
no longer purchase and resell desk and complimentary copies unless the
above conditions are met.
Thank you for your
consideration. We will be looking for your reply.
Sincerely,
Richard T. Hull,
Ph.D.
Executive Director
Text and Academic Authors Association
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Member Questions:
Working with Coauthors
Member Sherri Messersmith
posted the following question on the TAA Listserv last week: "I am currently
writing on my own but considering taking on a coauthor. What are some
different ways that coauthors can work together?" Read the many answers
to her question in the Members Only Question section here.
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TAA Stands Behind
Author's Guild Decision to Sue
Although the Text
and Academic Authors Association remains concerned about the legality
and propriety of Google's announced intentions, said Executive Director
Richard Hull, it favors a candid and open dialog among the interested
parties as the preferred method of addressing these concerns. "We nonetheless
understand and support the steps taken by the Author's Guild to protect
the important interests of its members in light of Google's apparent
resolve to press ahead without a consensus that it has the legal right
to do so," said Hull.
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TAA Applauds
Yahoo's Approach to Creating Digitized Library
TAA applauds Yahoo's
evident intent to maintain respect for a reasonable interpretation of
copyright law while making available to scholars and the public at large
digitized versions of a large collection of English- and other-language
works, said Richard T. Hull, TAA's executive director. "TAA urges its
copyright-holding members to consider whether they wish to opt in to
the Yahoo service as they act to opt out of Google's Print Library,"
he said. "Yahoo has gotten the process straight: they won't digitize
copyrighted material unless receiving permission to do so."
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TAA Quoted in
News Article About Yahoo Library
TAA Executive Director
Richard Hull was quoted in a ZDNet article about Yahoo's new publisher
and author-friendly digitized library project: "It is a wonderful idea.
It does all the good things that the Google project was represented
as doing, but it respects the copyright," Read the full article at http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5887374.html
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TAA Offers Help
to Members Affected by Hurricane Katrina
Any TAA member that
needs help in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, please contact TAA headquarters
at (727) 563-0020 or TEXT@tampabay.rr.com
and TAA will do its best to assist you. TAA Executive Director Richard
Hull has offered to rent his three bedroom, two bath house, located
in Tallahassee, Florida, to a TAA member in need of temporary housing.
Please contact him
directly at rthull62@hotmail.com
or (850) 893-6539.
If any other TAA
members own property in areas that could be accessed by Katrina victims
for temporary housing, or can offer their assistance in any other way,
please contact Hull or TAA headquarters. At least nine TAA members live
in Louisiana, Alabama or Mississippi, the states hit hardest by Hurricane
Katrina.
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Renew Your Membership
Online!
TAA has just launched
a new online member form that will allow members to renew online using
a secure server. The form can also be used by new members. Check it
out in the TAA Member Center here.
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Make a Gift to
the TAA Foundation to Support Research on Textbook Author Diversity
The TAA Foundation
is asking for donations from members towards a $15,000 matching grant
from TAA. For every $1 you donate, TAA will match it. For example, your
donation of $25 will become $50. All gifts are tax-deductible. To make
a donation to the TAA Foundation, contact Janet Tucker at TAA headquarters
at (727) 563-0020 or mail your donation to TAA Foundation c/o TAA, P.O.
Box 76477, St. Petersburg, FL 33737-6477.
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New TAA Fax Number
TAA headquarters
switched its phone system over to a new broadband system. The phone
number will remain the same, but the new fax number is (727) 230-2409.
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