The End Of Publishing?

By Patrick Appel
A group of editors and book critics debate the significance of a settlement between Google and the Association of American Publishers, a deal which will allow Google to make searchable digital copies of millions of books that have gone out of print. Carlin Romano, literary critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, is optimistic:

Both Google and authors emerge as winners. Google wins because, for a tiny $125 million settlement, it gets to set up another near-monopoly business, the selling of out-of-print books online, and take a 37 percent cut. Authors of out-of-print books win because they’ll get otherwise unobtainable revenue for online purchase of older books that normally would not produce any royalties.

The losers, aside from the would-be online competitors of Google, are sellers of used books, both companies and individuals. Google’s service will surely lessen demand for out-of-print books. But that doesn’t violate the philosophy behind copyright, because authors traditionally receive no remuneration for sale of used copies of their books.