For eight long years, Google has been embroiled in a legal dispute with Authors Guild. The bone of contention has been Google Books, a service allowing internet users to locate and preview millions of books from publishers and libraries worldwide. Now, a federal judge has ruled in favor of Google Books, deeming the service to be beneficial in many ways and serving the whole society.
The Authors Guild had alleged that the internet giant was infringing on copyrighted work by creating unauthorized digital editions of all possible literary work in the world, and profiting from it. The non-profit organization comprises over eight thousands members from the publishing industry, including authors, literary agents and attorneys. Google, on the other hand, had argued that it had complied with copyright laws and enabled users to find books by acting like an online card catalog.
In his 33-page ruling, U.S District Judge for the Southern District of New York, Denny Chin, noted the different ways in which Google Books benefited the public. He spoke of its contribution to the arts and sciences; as an excellent research tool for students, faculty and librarians; its role in the preservation of old print and out-of-print literary work; as a tool for print-disabled populations, and drew attention to its potential for creating new audiences and new sources of income for publishers and authors.
Previously, Chin had rejected a $125 million settlement proposal brought forth by the two parties. He had also denied Google’s motion to dismiss the case in 2012.
Today, content marketing has become a part of the overall DNA of digital marketing. Internet marketers are increasingly creating, repositioning and distributing content online, in the form of whitepapers, ebooks, infographics, how-to guides and case studies. The internet has become the go-to destination for all manner of literary work as well.
Authors Guild is planning to make an appeal to have the case reviewed by a higher court.