Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Google Books' Fair Use Win

BY Mark Hamblett
November 02, 2015

Rejecting a decade-long attack on Google's mass reproduction of millions of books as well as its presentation of “snippets” ' sections of works set alongside information on how readers can buy the books ' the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit court decided that Google Books has a “highly convincing transformative purpose” and thus is a protected fair use for which the company cannot be held liable under the Copyright Act.

Circuit Court Pierre Leval, Jose Cabranes and Barrington Parker made the decision in The Authors Guild v. Google Books, 13-4829 (Second Cir., Oct. 16, 2015). The appeals court upheld a 2013 grant of summary judgment in Google's favor by then-Southern District Judge Denny Chin, who found fair use in a decision that ruled in favor of the company's 2004 Library Project, in which libraries and the company collaborated on the mass digitization of library books. Since the project's inception, libraries have downloaded more than 2.7 million digital copies of their own books.

Judge Chin found significant public benefits for the Google Books project, which now has more than 20 million books, including the transformation of “expressive text into a comprehensive word index that helps readers, scholars, researchers, and others find books.” Judge Chin said the project helped preserve books, gave underserved populations access to books, and aided scholars to analyze large amounts of data through the use of “text mining” and “data mining.”

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Yachts, Jets, Horses & Hooch: Specialized Commercial Leasing Models Image

Defining commercial real estate asset class is essentially a property explaining how it identifies — not necessarily what its original intention was or what others think it ought to be. This article discusses, from a general issue-spot and contextual analysis perspective, how lawyers ought to think about specialized leasing formats and the regulatory backdrops that may inform what the documentation needs to contain for compliance purposes.

Hyperlinked Documents: The Latest e-Discovery Challenge Image

As courts and discovery experts debate whether hyperlinked content should be treated the same as traditional attachments, legal practitioners are grappling with the technical and legal complexities of collecting, analyzing and reviewing these documents in real-world cases.

Identifying Your Practice's Differentiator Image

How to Convey Your Merits In a Way That Earns Trust, Clients and Distinctions Just as no two individuals have the exact same face, no two lawyers practice in their respective fields or serve clients in the exact same way. Think of this as a "Unique Value Proposition." Internal consideration about what you uniquely bring to your clients, colleagues, firm and industry can provide untold benefits for your law practice.

Risks and Ad Fraud Protection In Digital Advertising Image

The ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, coupled with the industry-wide adoption of programmatic advertising, poses a significant threat to the effectiveness and integrity of digital advertising campaigns. This article explores various risks to digital advertising from pixel stuffing and ad stacking to domain spoofing and bots. It will also explore what should be done to ensure ad fraud protection and improve effectiveness.

Turning Business Development Plans Into Reality Image

This article offers practical insights and best practices to navigate the path from roadmap to rainmaking, ensuring your business development efforts are not just sporadic bursts of activity, but an integrated part of your daily success.