• Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas
  • Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Alken (Henry). Sporting Notions, first edition, T.McLean, 1832-33. £800 to £1,200.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Bardi (Lorenzo). Nuova Raccolta delle piu interessanti Vedute della Citta di Firenze…, Florence, Lorenzo Bardi, [c.1840]. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Crawfurd (John). Journal of an Embassy from the Governor-General of India to the Court of Ava..., first edition, 1829. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Dawe (George, engraver). The Life of a Nobleman, first edition, Geo. Henderson, [c.1825]. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: [Doyle (John)], "H.B.". Political Sketches &c., 10 vol. including The Descriptive Key to H.B., Thomas McLean, [1829-51]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Eben (Adolphus Christian Frederick, Baron von) and Nicolaus Heideloff. Modèles de l'Uniforme Militaire Adopté dans l'Armée Royale de Suède, Rudolph Ackerman, 1808. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions
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    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Geissler (J.G.G.) and Friedrich Hempel. Mahlerische Darstellungen der Sitten, Gebrauche und Lustbarkeiten bey den Russischen, Tartarischen…, 4 parts in 1, Leipzig and Paris, [1804]. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Hunt (Charles). Portraits of Winning Horses...of the Derby, Oaks, & St. Leger, from the Year 1842 to 1849…, Rock Brothers & Payne, 1849. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Kunike (Adolf Friedrich). Zwey hundert und sechzig Donau-Ansichten nach dem Laufe des Donaustromes…, Vienna, Leopold Grund, 1826. £3,000 to £5,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Colour Plate Books from the Library of Norman Bobins
    Part 2
    27th March 2024
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Lasinio (Carlo). [Matrimony], Florence, 1790. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Reinhardt (Joseph). A Collection of Swiss Costumes, in Miniature, second English edition, James Goodwin, [1828]. £800 to £1,200.
    Forum Auctions, Mar. 27: Wengen (Gottfried Durst von). Die Öffentliche Maskerade Bamberg am Fastnachts-Montage 1833…, Bamberg, [1833]. £2,000 to £3,000.
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    Modern First Editions
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    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
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    Modern First Editions
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Rare Book Monthly

Articles - December - 2013 Issue

Google Books Finally Wins a Round in 8-Year-Old Lawsuit

Judge Chin hands down his decision.

There have been few victories for Google in the now 8-year-old lawsuit involving its massive Google Books digitization project. Google has now scanned and digitized over 20 million books. Google once reached a settlement with its major pursuer, the Authors Guild, only to have the settlement thrown out by a court. The court found even the compromise offered by its opponent too lenient. Therefore, it might be a bit surprising to find the same court giving Google a resounding victory in Google's latest battle with the Authors Guild. One never knows.

 

Over a decade ago, Google announced its project, now known as “Google Books,” to make digital copies of virtually every book, at least every older book ever published, available. It signed agreements with various university and public libraries to scan the older books on their shelves. Google agreed to pay the cost of scanning the books. The library and Google would each get a copy of the digital books created by the project.

 

There was an issue lurking behind this amazing project to preserve and make available older, often virtually “lost” books – copyrights. Copyrights on books published before 1923 have all expired. Google is free to copy them at will. Those published between 1923 and 1977 may, or may not still be under copyright, depending on whether copyrights were renewed years ago. Everything from 1977 on is still under copyright and will be for years to come.

 

While Google stayed away from newer books, it did scan many from the 1923-1977 period. It did not attempt to determine which were still under copyright and which were not. Even if it did, it would be essentially impossible to locate all of the copyright holders. That person may have died almost a century ago, and the copyright may now belong to dozens of impossible to find great-grandchildren, who aren't even aware that they own a copyright to a book that hasn't earned a nickel in 90 years. These books have earned the sobriquet “orphan books” in the trade. If Google had to seek the owners' approval first, as copyright law demands, it would be impossible for Google to make many books published after 1923 digitally available to the public.

 

Nonetheless, this was the issue over which the Authors Guild sued. You need the authors' permission first, no matter that doing so is essentially impossible, they said. That is what the letter of the copyright law says. So, Google and the Authors Guild reached a settlement. Google would sell digital access to books that might be under copyright. The copyright holder would get 63% of the proceeds, Google 37%. All the copyright holder had to do was step forward and claim their share. If they did not, their share would be held in abeyance for a few years and then donated to charity. Any copyright holder who did not like this deal could opt out and Google would immediately delete their books from its database.

 

The settlement sounded reasonable enough, but others, including the U. S. Department of Justice, did not like the deal. It might be reasonable, they said, but it still violates the copyright law. The law is the law, and the law says you must receive permission to copy in advance, not after the fact. Ultimately, Judge Denny Chin of the District Court for the Southern District of New York agreed. You cannot reach a settlement that violates the law, he reasoned. He threw out the settlement, whereupon, the Authors Guild took up its suit against Google again.

 

This time, Google is no longer attempting to sell access to these “orphan books.” Instead, it allows Google searchers to see a short section, a “snippet” of text if it matches a visitor's search terms. This enables a searcher to find which books contain his search terms, and to see their context in a sentence or two. However, the person cannot then buy access to the book from Google. He is on his own. Google will point them to a book listing site if one has that book for sale, or to a library if it has the book on its shelves. You just can't get the book from Google, and Google does not receive advertising dollars from the book listing sites or from others on the page. It does not make any money from the copyrighted book.

 

The Authors Guild sued Google anyway. It is still copying and displaying parts of copyrighted books without the owners' permission. That is still a violation of copyright law, they argued. Google countered that what they were displaying represented what is legally known as “fair use” of copyrighted material. Without going into the details, or the official “four-pronged” test of fair use, an easy example of fair use is a book review. A reviewer can legally quote a couple of sentences from a book in her review. She just can't copy and quote the entire book. That is what Google said it was doing by displaying a “snippet.”

 

So, the suit was heard again in the same court in front of the same judge, but this time Judge Chin ruled in favor of Google. He concluded that Google's “snippets” constituted fair use. The Authors Guild pointed to the fact that Google, while only displaying a snippet, was, in fact, copying the entire book. And, if the searcher did enough searches using various terms, he could eventually see the entire book. Not so, said the Judge. First of all, Google leaves 10% of the copy out of its searches to prevent this. Secondly, in order to know what other terms to search to see the entire book, you would have to have a copy of the book in front of you. Accessing an entire book, or even the 90% available, is practically speaking, as likely as finding the copyright holders for books 90 years out of print. Google may continue to digitize books and display snippets to searchers on their website, ruled the Judge.

 

The Authors Guild is appealing. “In our view, such mass digitization and exploitation far exceeds the bounds of fair use defense,” Authors Guild Executive Director Paul Aiken said in a statement. “We plan to appeal the decision.”

 

We conclude with a quote from Judge Chin which puts this all in perspective, followed by a comment: “In my view, Google Books provides significant public benefits. It advances the progress of the arts and sciences, while maintaining respectful consideration for the rights of authors and other creative individuals, and without adversely impacting the rights of copyright holders. It has become an invaluable research tool that permits students, teachers, librarians, and others to more efficiently identify and locate books. It has given scholars the ability, for the first time, to conduct full-text searches of tens of millions of books. It preserves books, in particular out-of-print and old books that have been forgotten in the bowels of libraries, and it gives them new life. It facilitates access to books for print-disabled and remote or underserved populations. It generates new audiences and creates new sources of income for authors and publishers. Indeed, all society benefits.”

 

We agree completely with Judge Chin's summary, and yet, we can't help but note how much better the situation would have been had he ruled in favor of the earlier settlement. This decision allows people to locate potentially useful books online through Google, but to actually read it, they must order a copy online, likely through a site like Amazon or AbeBooks, providing one is even available, or find it in a library, the nearest one having their book perhaps hundreds or thousands of miles away. If the settlement had been upheld, they could have had instant access to a digital copy. And, as to generating “new sources of income for authors and publishers,” that will only be true of books still in print. Out of print books will be purchased used, meaning the author receives no further royalty, or read for free in a library. If Google were permitted to sell access, the author or publisher could have earned 63% of the selling price on the spot for a book they are otherwise unlikely to make another penny from ever again.

 

However, since the law is the law, the solution now is for Congress to change the copyright law to allow for a solution like the settlement to make “orphan books” accessible again. Congress just needs to get up off of their seats and do something useful, instead of whatever it is they are doing now.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000

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