Google digitizing all books

[Sasha Spektor]

I bow to the wisdom of Mr. Gallagher, but somehow I feel that the point was
missed.  Toward the end of my note I suggested that surely there is a big
lecture on the complicated logistics of intellectual copyright somewhere out
there waiting to hammer me down.  Fare enough: I didn't resist, why should
someone else resist?  And now I'm much more knowledgeable about the
differences between cost and value, economic abbreviations, etc.  Sure,
copyright, and intellectual copyright is a difficult issue, but we were
talking about bibs and other small tissues, why throw an intellectual quilt
over our heads to muffle the sounds?  I specifically said that *in my
opinion* to demand money for digitizing the books of Slavists and other
academics seems absurd.  I also said that I prefer knowledge to be easily
accessible.  Now someone says that why should we, toiling thinkers not
obtain return on our investment, when Google is planning to charge for the
use of the library.  A very valid question.  But... instead of proposing a
simple solution of Google *not* charging for the use of the library out come
the big guns of a lecture on the economics of intellectual copyright.  So
now everyone should pay.  Isn't it easier and more productive to not pay at
all?  And if Mr. Gallagher considers his work to be worthy of payment, then
let him ask for money from google.  But why make it into a rule that works
for everyone?  How many people on this list are expecting ROI for their
books on literature?  Do you seriously object to the starving child in
Africa having free access to the latest biography of Tolstoy?  Or is it
because I'm reading War and Peace that the matter seems to be so simple?
Regards,
S.

On Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 3:46 PM, Paul B. Gallagher <
paulbg at pbg-translations.com> wrote:

> greniers at GEORGETOWN.EDU wrote:
>
>  Words of wisdom, Paul!  But, forgive my ignorance, what is ROI?
>>
>
> "Return on investment." Standard business term.
>
> Two excellent sources for English-language abbreviations:
>
> <http://www.abbreviations.com>
> <http://www.acronymfinder.com>
>
> And thanks, everyone, for the words of support.
>
> --
> War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
> --
> Paul B. Gallagher
> pbg translations, inc.
> "Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
> http://pbg-translations.com
>
>
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