Publishing exec 'steals' Google laptops to prove his point

[RUN_LIKE_HELL]

We can't say that we'd recommend a CEO steal property from Google in order to prove a point, but the head honcho of Macmillan Publishers pushed his superego aside and did just that at a recent BookExpo America in NYC. It's no secret that a number of publishers have been up in arms about Google's approach to digitizing their works, but Richard Charkin went so far as to recruit a colleague and swipe a pair of laptops from a Google Books kiosk at the event. About an hour later, the booth attendants actually noticed the missing goods and presumably began to panic, and the haughty executive then had the nerve to return the machines to their rightful owners whilst dropping the "hope you enjoyed a taste of your own medicine" line. He justified the bizarre behavior by suggesting that "there wasn't a sign by the computers informing him not to steal them," apparently referencing Google's controversial tactics when scanning books. That'll show 'em, Mr. Charkin.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/07/publishing-exec-steals-google-laptops-in-silly-demonstration/

 

[Per]

Don't post just a link and an excerpt. If you want a discussion, you'll have to kick it off yourself.

 

[SuAside]

how far does google go with the digitizing thing?

there's many books that are public domain (too old so they outlived any copyright durations). but do they scan 'new' books without the 'ok' from the writer & publisher?

i know googlebooks is going to scan all books in the university library of Ghent (which will take several years, probably a decade), but those are mostly really old books.

 

[Davaris]

From what I understand they want to scan old and new books.

 

[radnan]

maybe ... i guess (do not know) that publishing houses make a lot of money from public domain works of great popularity simply by continuing to issue them ...

 

[SuAside]

it's not as if currently we have a lot of people who like reading on computerscreens. i prefer paper.

ofc, if we get those foldable paper TFT/OLED PDA thingies... than that might be a wholely different story.

 

[Sorrow]

I wonder why doesn't any publisher question the morality of using normal libraries. I've stolen hundreds of books using normal libraries.

Also, calling copying a theft smells like a strawman argument to me.

 

[RUN_LIKE_HELL]

Don't post just a link and an excerpt. If you want a discussion, you'll have to kick it off yourself.

Indeed you are right,point taken and will be remembered. I don't know how things work in the publishing world but if google does not pay royalties to the author of the book and then publishes his work on the net, I would be pissed too. the guy must've thought at the time that his move was well thought out but I doubt that it had any effect at all...on the other hand, what can a regular joe do against a behemoth like Google? Legal actions...Google would crush the little guy.